On Jan. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) opened the registration for the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs. It was started in Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas and broad participation is invited from eligible professionals and eligible hospitals who wish to participate.

In February, the registration will open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota and in other states during the spring and summer of 2011.

“With the start of registration, these landmark programs get underway, and patients, providers, and the nation can begin to enjoy the benefits of widespread adoption of electronic health records,” CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD was quoted as saying in the news release. “CMS has many resources available to help providers register and participate, and we look forward to working with eligible professionals and eligible hospitals to facilitate the process, beginning on January 3^rd and going forward.”

“It’s time to get connected,” said David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. “ONC and CMS have worked together over many months to prepare for the startup on January 3^rd. ONC’s Certified HIT Product List includes more than 130 certified EHR systems or modules and is updated frequently. ONC also has hands-on assistance available across the country through 62 Regional Extension Centers. We look forward to continuing to work with CMS to assist eligible providers in 2011 and future years.”

The news release said that interested providers can acquaint themselves with the programs’ requirements by visiting CMS’ Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Eligible providers seeking to participate in the Medicaid programs must initiate registration at CMS’...

How to count components for Boostrix, Pediarix – and other immunizations.

Excited by the new vaccine administration codes’ payment per component but not sure how many components specific vaccines have? This chart does the work for you.

Find the product name for a quick cross reference to how many components the vaccine includes and the administration with counseling code combination to report using the new pediatric/adolescent codes.

Note: The ICD-9 vaccine product code listed in the chart uses the generalized vaccine product code (V06.8, Need for prophylactic vaccination and inoculation against other combinations of diseases). For vaccine administration provided outside of a preventive medicine service, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using V06.8 for combination vaccines that do not have their own individual single ICD-9 code.

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Physician and facility coders alike will benefit from SuperCoder’s newest tool!

Want to check if CPT and Medicare allow certain modifiers on a code combination, such as 69210-25 and 99213-59? In January, SuperCoder.com will offer a claims scrubber that will alert you to whether the codes on a claim require a modifier(s), the diagnoses indicate medical necessity, the gender is appropriate for the procedure(s), plus many additional denial combating warnings.
With SuperCoder’s Claim Scrubber add-on tool, you enter a claim’s CPT, ICD-9, and HCPCS code combinations and the tool instantly checks the codes for National Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits, diagnosis-CPT linkages, Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs) or frequency allowances, and more. You can get results in real-time – or you can submit a batch file of claims and receive a detailed errors report in seconds.

Seven Reasons You Need This Tool

SuperCoder’s Claim Scrubber will save you time and money. The tool will:

1. Help physicians to submit only compliant claims
2. Reduce denials
3. Find missing charges
4. Optimize RVUs
5. Accelerate reimbursement cycle
6. Reduce submission costs
7. Produce real time results

To purchase the tool, go to www.supercoder.com/products/ You must already have a Codesets & Tools or Advantage subscription.

Bonus: SuperCoder’s Claim Scrubber will let you enter code combinations for both CMS-1500 and UB-04 claims.

Think outside the box for iliac atherectomy.

Are you ready to apply CPT’s new revascularization codes starting January 1? Check out these six tips to get you on your way.

CPT 2011 offers up new codes to help you report services more accurately, including endovascular revascularization, says Marcella Bucknam, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, CPC-P, COBGC, CCC, manager of compliance education for the University of Washington Physicians Compliance Program in Seattle.

Specifically, CPT 2011 adds several new codes that represent lower extremity endovascular revascularization, meaning angioplasty, atherectomy, and stenting. Here’s how the codes break down:

• Iliac: 37220-+37223– Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, iliac artery …
• Femoral, popliteal: 37224-37227– Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, femoral, popliteal artery(s), unilateral …
• Tibial/peroneal: 37228-+37235– Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, tibial, peroneal artery, unilateral …

In this article, iliac artery services are the focus. Look to future articles to discuss femoral, popliteal, and tibial/peroneal services.

Watch Procedure and Vessel to Choose Among 37220-+37223

The new iliac service codes are as follows:

• 37220– Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, iliac artery, unilateral, initial vessel; with transluminal angioplasty
• 37221– … with transluminal stent placement(s), includes angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed
• +37222– Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, iliac artery, each additional ipsilateral iliac vessel; with transluminal angioplasty (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)
• +37223– … with transluminal stent placement(s), includes angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure).

Reading through the definitions, you see that the codes for iliac services differ based on whether you’re coding a service in an initial vessel or in an additional vessel. Your options also differ based on whether you’re reporting (1) angioplasty alone or...