In 2009, the government established requirements for all hospitals and physician offices to implement a certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. In 2015, practitioners who fail to comply with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will be subject to penalties.
Major practice management software developers have combined this requirement and their electronic health records management solutions for an integrated solution set. Nephrology coding and billing is quite complex and requires an in-depth understanding of federal guidelines and requirements. The billing and coding process is especially important to nephrologists because of the many different medical International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) specific to their nephrology specialty. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services frequently issues changes that affect Medicare Part B billing and coding, which includes changes relating to the use of ICD-9 diagnosis codes.
This Medicare coding prevents mistaken coding and the higher than 26 percent rejection rate nationwide for renal Medicare billing. Little or no renal medical coding training is provided during nephrologists' residency programs and practitioners are suffering through a long learning process. The billing requirements are so complex; many practitioners are resorting to outsourcing their billing services. Nephrology billing cycle management is especially unique with daily dialysis, monthly capitation billing and Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Nephrologist software packages offer a number of functions for clinicians involved in renal care. The typical set-up features problem-oriented clinical reporting, access charting, patient encounter charting, paperless session charting for hemodialysis, Internet-based laboratory data management and automated billing.
Patients suffering from chronic kidney disease traditionally also suffer from hypertension. This combined diagnosis requires Medicare - Certified Practitioners (MCP) to:
* Add details in the chart with all necessary comments
* Chart secondary or multiple diagnoses
* Document other services, such as lab work or bloodwork
* Distinguish which labs provide tests covered by the composite rate
* Provide detailed consultation notes for established patient visits.
Today, practice management solutions involving nephrologist software are totally integrated with ICD coding. It uses built-in formatting that includes the official description and a detailed illustration for each code. These features assist the medical practice's coding staff members to find the correct codes, including laymen's descriptions, coding tips, terminology, cross coding and national Medicare relative value units. An integrated nephrology medical billing software with the basic practice management services provides the simplest way to increase accuracy in the Medicare billing process. These integrated solutions afford MCPs to maximize patient care and ensure accurate billing and reimbursements.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 