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TAOG Executive Office Karen O'Briant 141 Idlewild Creek Road Sweetwater, Texas 79556 (325) 235-1959 FAX: (325) 235-4687 TOLL FREE (866) 935-1959 TAOG 
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© Copyright 2001 Texas Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists All Rights Reserved Photos by PhotoDisc |
| July 2008/Vol 8, Issue 7 |
You are here: Practice Issues > July 2008/Vol 8, Issue 7
Welcome to ACOG's Practice Management and Coding Update. The Update provides timely information on coding, reimbursement and practice management issues. Information on a variety of coding and practice management issues is available on ACOG's web site under the Practice Management heading at http://www.acog.org/.
In this issue of the Update:
1) REVISED ABN FORM EXPLAINED
2) 10.6% MEDICARE CUTS EFFECTIVE JULY 1 - SENATE FAILS TO STOP CUTS
3) PARTICIPATION REQUESTED: ACOG ONLINE SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEY
4) IRS INCREASES MILEAGE RATE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008
5) UNITED HEALTHCARE MOVES SOME HRT DRUGS TO TIER 3- JULY 1
6) CMS INITIATES NPPES-IRS DATA MATCH FOR INCORPORATED PHYSICIANS
7) 2007 PQRI REPORTS DUE MID-JULY
8) REMINDER- REVISED CMS-855 ENROLLMENT FORMS EFFECTIVE JULY 1
9) STUDY SHOWS SLOW ADOPTION OF EHR
10) ACOG LIVE WEBCASTS:
JULY 8, 2008: OVARIAN CANCER: INFORMATION FOR THE GENERALIST OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST
AUGUST 12, 2008: INTERRUPTED PREGNANCY CODING
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1) REVISED ABN FORM EXPLAINED
Mandatory use of the new, revised Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) is effective on September 1, 2008. The form is available in English or Spanish. There are several new features in the new form including a mandatory field for cost estimates. For more information and access to the new ABN, go to:
http://www.acog.org/departments/dept_notice.cfm?recno=6&bulletin=4594
2) 10.6% MEDICARE CUTS EFFECTIVE JULY 1 - SENATE FAILS TO STOP CUTS
On June 26th, the Senate failed to pass legislation that would halt the 10.6% cut in physician payments. The cuts are scheduled to take effect on July 1. On Tuesday, June 24th, the House of Representatives passed a Medicare bill (HR 6331) that would have kept payments at the current level until the end of the year and given physicians a 1.1% increase beginning January 2009. On Thursday night, the Senate defeated a procedural motion to move the bill forward. The bill will now be withdrawn from the Senate floor until sometime after the July 4th recess when it will likely be reconsidered.
3) PARTICIPATION REQUESTED: ACOG ONLINE SOCIOECONOMIC SURVEY
ACOG physicians currently in active practice are requested to complete ACOG’s online socioeconomic survey. Not to be confused with the AMA/ACOG paper survey, the information gathered in the ACOG online survey guides our advocacy and educational efforts on your behalf. Please take the time (20-30 minutes) to complete the questionnaire and add your information to that of other ACOG Fellows. For more information, the reports from the previous (2003) ACOG survey, and the link to the online survey, go to: http://www.acog.org/departments/dept_notice.cfm?recno=19&bulletin=4587
To go directly to the online survey, go to: ACOG Survey.
4) IRS INCREASES MILEAGE RATE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2008
The IRS has announced that the rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. The increase is due to the recent gasoline price increase.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=184163,00.html
5) UNITED HEALTHCARE MOVES SOME HRT DRUGS TO TIER 3 - JULY 1
United Healthcare will move Premarin, Premphase and Prempro from Tier 2 to Tier 3 on July 1, 2008. Some participating providers have received a mailing from UHC detailing the changes and low cost alternatives available. If you have not received information, please check with your UHC representative.
United Health Group Network Bulletin (see p 8)
UNITED HEALTHCARE ANNOUNCES CLAIMS PROCESSING CORRECTIONS
United Healthcare announced that they have identified and corrected denials made inappropriately for issues including non-notification of pregnancy. To read the notice, go to:
United Healthcare Online News
6) CMS INITIATES NPPES-IRS DATA MATCH FOR INCORPORATED PHYSICIANS
Physicians who are incorporated may receive a letter from CMS if their corporation's legal business name (LBN) and employer identification number (EIN) do not accurately match the information in the National Plan and Provider System (NPPES). The NPPES system is the database containing all physician NPI numbers. The small percentage of physicians affected by this notice will be told they have 15 days to respond. CMS will deactivate the NPIs of providers who do not respond to the request.
Physicians can review their NPI data at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/NPPES/Welcome.do
EIN/LBN information can be reviewed from IRS paperwork, such as, a CP-575, a quarterly tax payment coupon, or other IRS correspondence that contain this data. A verification letter (IRS 147C) can be requested from the IRS that identifies your group’s EIN and LBN.
7) 2007 PQRI REPORTS DUE MID-JULY
If you participated in the 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), you will be able to access your feedback report after mid-July through a secure, password-protected website. The reports will be in PDF format. CMS recommends that you set up your account now on the new “Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services- Provider Community” or “IACS-PC” system. More information on setting up the account is available from CMS through the following educational articles: MLN SE0747.pdf and MLN SE0753.pdf
Help for IACS registration questions is available at 1-866-484-8049.
8) REMINDER- REVISED CMS-855 ENROLLMENT FORMS EFFECTIVE JULY 1
CMS issued new CMS provider enrollment applications in March 2008. All applications should now be submitted on the revised enrollment form. More information is available through the following educational article: MLN SE0810.pdf
More information and the enrollment forms are available at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/
9) STUDY SHOWS SLOW ADOPTION OF EHR
The June 19th online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports on a study of EHR adoption and use by physicians. Four percent have a fully functioning electronic health record system - including order entry and clinical decision support. Thirteen percent of physicians have a basic EHR – including recording of lab data, clinical notes and e-prescribing. To read the online NEJM article, go to:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMsa0802005
10) ACOG LIVE WEBCASTS:
JULY 8, 2008: OVARIAN CANCER: INFORMATION FOR THE GENERALIST OBSTETRICIAN-GYNECOLOGIST
1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: Molly Brewer, DVM, MD, MS, FACOG
Cost: $49 Members; $59 Non-members
Registration closes at noon ET on Monday, July 7
Women with ovarian cancer often see multiple physicians and undergo multiple diagnostic procedures before they have a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and are referred to a gynecologic oncologist for definitive therapy. In addition, we estimate that up to 25%, and possibly more, of ovarian cancer cases have a familial component. Recognition of what constitutes risk as well as how to appropriately refer these patients is critical to improving our early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer. At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
• Recognize common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer
• Recognize risk factors for ovarian cancer
• Determine who should be referred and why
• Determine if a woman is high risk
• Understand why a high risk woman should be referred
• Be aware of minimally invasive surgery options for the early stage ovarian cancer
For more information and to register, go to:
http://www.acog.org/postgrad/pgpage.cfm?recno=461
August 12, 2008: INTERRUPTED PREGNANCY CODING
1:00 – 2:30 PM ET
Presenter: Jan Rasmussen, CPC, CCP, ACS-OB, ACS-GI
Cost: $49 Members; $59 Non-members
Registration closes at noon ET on Monday, August 11
Interrupted pregnancy coding continues to be a problem area for every OB-Gyn office. This course will walk you through coding different scenarios such as missed abortion, spontaneous abortion, induced abortion for medical necessity as well as discussing how to capture prenatal visits when there has been a provider change or insurance change.
For more information and to register, go to:
http://www.acog.org/postgrad/pgpage.cfm?recno=456
Archives of previous ACOG webcasts are available at: https://www.wgitv.com/ppv/course/main.asp?AgencyID=689
Physicians, practice administrators and staff will find ACOG Webcasts of interest. Participants need a computer with speakers and Internet capability. Your registration fee covers one Internet connection from each site, but you may have an unlimited number of participants on your connection. Each Webcast is approved for AMA Category 1 type credits. See the specific webcast information for CME credit information. For questions about webcasts, please contact Anne Diamond at 202-863-2444 or adiamond@acog.org