March 21st 2025
Key estate planning changes in 2025: potential tax law shifts, federal exemption sunset, retirement account rules, state death taxes, and cryptocurrency issues.
Skin replacement and surgery; skin substitutes
February 1st 2006One of the biggest changes in the 2006 CPT book involves the grafting section of the Integumentary System. There were many deletions, a host of new codes and a significant number of amendments to the rules and guidelines that govern these complex surgical procedures.
Coding highlights of 2005 & 2006
January 1st 2006Year 2005 was filled with many changes that affected dermatologists and how they billed Medicare and other commercial carriers. Year 2006 is anticipated to be an equally challenging year. In this article, I will highlight what I feel was important this year and what you need to be aware of in the year ahead. Due to the space constraints of this article, I cannot go into great detail, but I will at least let you know what you should be aware of and what you need to implement.
Billing for Mohs procedures, warts, ulcers
December 1st 2005Q I billed Medicare for the following services. All of the Mohs procedures were denied. Patient was in a 90-day postoperative period for a flap that was done 20 days earlier. Tell me how I should have coded to avoid the denials of my Mohs services?
Understanding the rising prevalence of treated disease
September 1st 2005National report — The driving force behind the growth in private insurance spending between 1987 and 2002 was the rise in treated disease prevalence, rather than the rise in spending per treated case, according to a new study from Emory University in Atlanta.
Procedural coding must capture accurate services; M.D. urges survey participation
August 1st 2005Chicago — It's ultimately the physician's responsibility to be sure that procedural codes accurately capture the medically necessary services performed during the visit, says a presenter here at the American Academy of Dermatology's Academy '05.
Pathology holds: when, why and how
August 1st 2005There is probably no single dermatology practice in this country that doesn't do biopsies, shave removals or excisions that require that a skin specimen be sent to an outside reference lab. A few practices have an in-house laboratory, but it still can be several days before the in-house dermatopathologist has time to read the slides.