Insurance

If you haven’t done so already, employ the help of your biller, billing company or a seasoned administrative staff member to clean up both insurance and patient aging. Start with insurance aging to ensure patient balances are correct before attempting to collect one last time this year.

“I have been getting insurance denials for subsequent billing of CPT code 11042 after one has been previously performed. Regardless of what level of tissue is debrided, my biller is saying I can only bill CPT code 11042 every 60 days. The biller is telling me that if I debride any level of tissue within those 60 days, I should bill CPT code 97597 until 60 days have passed. Then after 60 days, I can bill CPT code 11042. This does not seem appropriate. Should we appeal?”

If a Medicare patient has a secondary, supplemental insurance that our practice does not participate with, how should this be handled?

“I have a patient that has bilateral ulcers with same depth on both feet, and I billed CPT 11042 -RT and CPT 11042 -LT, -59. Insurance has denied the second procedure as a duplicate. How else does this need to be billed as far bilateral ulcer procedures?”

Here’s a fun fact that is wreaking havoc in practices with a large volume of patients over 65, especially where facility work (SNFs, assisted living, nursing homes) is involved: Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Plans has DOUBLED over the past decade It has been reported so far in 2021 that approximately 43% (up from 39% in 2020; see graph below) of the 63 million individuals who “have Medicare” actually receive their benefits via an Advantage Plan. And just when you thought you were finished updating patient insurance information in January and February, if those Medicare Advantage patients decide that the plan they chose was not the right fit and they want to go back to traditional Medicare, they have until March 31st to do so.

“If a patient refuses to pay their bill due to a high deductible, is it possible to request the insurance company (i.e. Anthem) to delete the claim? That way, the patient will still be responsible for paying their deductible amount elsewhere.”

“We have had more than one claim where Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma is paying for CPT 28122 but denying CPT 28306, despite the use of the 59 modifier. Our question is why wouldn’t CPT 28306 be allowed instead of CPT 28122 as it is far more work? We are trying to determine how to appeal this.”

As COVID numbers start an uptick, private insurers are making additional changes to their coverage policies.