Chronicity of the Condition

Question: One point of clarification I’ve wondered about. What defines the chronicity of the condition? Is it if it’s lasted more than one year already for the patient or is it if we know that it’s going to last more than a year even if it’s...

Shave Biopsy

Question: When I am performing a shave biopsy, I append diagnosis code D48.5 to the service.  My coder is telling me that it is incorrect, and I should use D49.2 instead.  Who is correct?  Answer: The coder is correct on this one.  D48.5 is Neoplasm of Uncertain...

Telehealth and the OIG Work Plan

The pandemic and the public health emergency (PHE) it brought along with it, have changed how health care is delivered.  Commercial payors have been more amenable to paying for telehealth services in prior years.  Due to the pandemic, CMS decided to relax its...