In the current environment, physicians and staff are forced to learn seemingly more complicated and time-consuming methods of coding and documenting medical records. This includes the selection of an appropriate diagnosis code for the service provided. This course is meant to assist the reader to better understand the rules and regulations regarding diagnosis coding.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be familiar with diagnosis coding and indexing, the basis for selecting appropriate ICD-9 codes, and the relevance of diagnosis coding in regard to coverage issues.

There is a tremendous amount of anxiety associated with any form of Medicare inquiry. Most physicians want to stay off the radar screen at their local Medicare office and avoid unwanted attention. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. This course addresses a variety of activities that raise red flags at your Medicare office and how you can mitigate any potential criticism through education, training, and attention to detail.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to identify specific activity within the practice that may cause a potential inquiry from Medicare, appropriate actions to help reduce payer scrutiny, and the importance of an effective compliance program.

Education is critical to your success when providing care to Medicare beneficiaries and seeking reimbursement from Medicare. Your level of risk increases when you and your staff are not current with coding issues and documentation requirements. This course helps provide an understanding of the basic Medicare structure, payment rules, and regulations as a starting point to reduce your risk of regulatory criticism.

Upon completion of this course, the student will have a basic understanding of the Medicare program, the types of coverage available to beneficiaries, and Medicare payment rules.

Technological advances in diagnosing and treating ocular disease continue to develop at a rapid pace. New diagnostic testing equipment, surgical procedures, and drugs emerge as hot topics during every ophthalmic educational meeting and in various ophthalmic publications. It is both exciting and rewarding to offer these services to patients, yet numerous reimbursement challenges exist with new technology. Science and technology move much faster than coverage and payment policies.

From that perspective, this course examines various considerations that require attention as practices balance the promise of new advances in medicine against the uncertainty or delays in reimbursement.

Even a successful practice can leave itself vulnerable to a number of common documentation and coding errors, especially in two critical areas: office visits and diagnostic tests. This course is written with two goals in mind: 1) to make practice staff aware of the most widespread documentation and coding errors in these two areas, and 2) to offer insights and “hints” related to successfully meeting these challenges in an efficient and professional manner.