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The Basic Principles of Using Modifier 59 in Physical Therapy
For therapists, coding can be complicated. And it gets even more complicated when modifiers enter the picture. Modifiers are tricky things. Used wisely, they can help maximize your revenue. But used erroneously, they can wreak havoc in the form of claim denials and penalties. And if there’s one modifier that
PT Billing Basics: Coding Systems Every Physical Therapist Should Know
In physical therapy the primary concern is treating the patient, and rightly so. But while it may not be the most important aspect of the job, getting paid should come at a very close second since it’s the only way by which a practice can continue. Getting paid however means
New Physical Therapy Coding Updates for 2017
It’s time again to welcome the new year and with it, changes that will make our practices better than before. Among these changes? Physical Therapy codes.
Recently it was announced that the Physical Therapy Evaluation (97001) and Physical Therapy Re-evaluation (97002) codes have been deleted, and four new codes have been released in their place. These codes will be effective by January 1, 2017.
The new evaluation codes (97161 to 97163) center around services ranging in complexity from low to high, each with a code descriptor specifying required components. To give you an idea of each new code, some of the requirements are stated below:
Code no. 97161 – Physical therapy evaluation: low complexity, requiring the following components:
• A history with no personal factors and/or comorbidities that impact the plan of care;
• An examination of body system(s) using standardized tests and measures addressing 1-2 elements from any of the following: body structures and functions, activity limitations, and/or participation restrictions;
• A clinical presentation with stable and/or uncomplicated characteristics; and
• Clinical decision making of low complexity using standardized patient assessment instrument and/or measurable assessment of functional outcome.
In this case, usually 20 minutes are spent face-to-face with the patient and/or family.
Why Trust Medical Billing Technology Today
Technology has penetrated practically every field and industry, and medical billing is no exception.
From training to application, technology has become part and parcel of medical billing and coding. There are online medical billing courses, virtual patient databases and electronic means of communicating with and billing patients. Yet some practices still feel apprehensive about embracing technology when it comes to billing, and their concerns would not be unfounded.
Common Concerns with Technology
The biggest and most common concern over the use of medical billing technology is security. In recent years, we’ve heard of numerous cases of hackers breaking into secure company databases, resulting in hundreds of sensitive and highly valuable client information being exposed to the public or going into the wrong hands.
How to Maximize Your Team to Increase Practice Revenue
Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
In the case of your current staff learning new ways to maximize your revenue, the answer is definitely yes.
But contrary to what may be implied in the title, maximizing your team to maximize revenue does not mean having your team work to the bone. It’s not just about working hard, it’s more about working smart. When you know how the modern revenue cycle works and what you and your team need to focus on within this cycle, your team can effectively maximize your revenue without much difficulty.
A More Effective Perspective to RCM
RCM or revenue cycle management is the healthcare industry’s financial process that typically starts the moment a patient contacts a medical practice and ends when a patient is discharged and payment is made. But within this cycle is a myriad of opportunities, opportunities to not only ensure that the current revenue cycle comes full circle, but that new ones can be started.
Undercoding in Healthcare: What You Can Do to Avoid This Pitfall
Is your practice constantly faced with the problem of under-coding?
Under-coding is defined as the process of medical coding wherein the codes used are not reflective of the full extent of treatment that the patient received. It is often the result of failing to abstract every code from the medical record or to select the highest specificity of codes. Like overcoding, it can lead to rejected or denied claims, not to mention decreased revenue. But under-coding can also lead to other, more serious problems, which is why it is crucial to avoid this mistake.
The Problem with Under-Coding
Despite resulting in lower revenues for practices, under-coding is still considered fraudulent and can lead to investigations or audits. Some coders think that under-coding is “playing it safe” when you’re unsure, but really it isn’t. It can be seen as inducement, or the practice of offering a free service to patients in order to encourage them to avail of a service that is covered by the insurance provider. This can lead to legal action on the grounds of fraud and abuse.
How Our Clients Feel About Us
(5.0)
Park medical billing service is an excellent choice for the billing service for health care professionals. I have been practicing in 23 years is sub specialty of healthcare industry and had a share of billing services, some good, some terrible.
Park medical billing has been great in providing full service, including pre-cirt./ collections / follow ups / providing complete reports / all up to dated in technology regarding to the billing and follow ups.
Further, they are very honest, certainly know what they are doing .I have been very happy and gracious to their service since I had to change the service about 3 years ago.
My previous billing company was NASDAQ listed company, big and did not perform well on what they had to do…I was thrashed into the old billing company by the way of mergers, which was a horrible experience. Certainly, any healthcare provider using Park medical billing service would not be disappointed.
Hyun Chung, MD, Owner
NY Vein, PC
(5.0)
We hired Park Medical back in March of this year, and from the moment they came in to do a demo we were impressed. Our last biller did not meet expectations at all, but Chol and Monica came in to meet with us and were both professional and personable. Everything they promised, they have delivered.
Seven months later, we are still very impressed. Sheila, our account manager, has been absolutely exceptional. Their customer service is top tier—they increased our revenue, bill in a timely manner, and answer every question no matter how big or small. They even provide support in ways we didn’t think to ask for.
If you’re looking for a billing company, stop your search here. Park Medical will transform your billing process for the better!
Scott Gander, MSPT, Owner
ProTouch Physical Therapy
(5.0)
Very organized and systemic medical billing company. Rapid respond for any issues and minimalize all billing issues. Highly recommended.
Joseph Park, DPT, Owner
Prime Rehab Center Physical Therapy
(5.0)
My company has had a great experience utilizing Park Medical for our billing service. Their software is easy to use and allows you to drill down to find any information you may be looking for.
I would recommend them if any company is looking for an excellent billing company with great rates.
Albert Tasker, CFO
Eagle Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation
(5.0)
My company has been using Park Medical Billing for approximately 1.5 years and I am very pleased with their services! They are available via phone or email whenever the need arises and are prompt with their posting.
Through their help in submitting claims in a timely manner, we have been able to increase our monthly collection rate. I recommend Park Medical Billing for all your billing needs.
Michelle Tawil, DPT, Owner
Tawil Physical Therapy
(5.0)
I have to say that I’m extremely satisfied with Park’s Medical Billing Company’s professionalism, competency, and personal attention to pressing matters. In thirty years of practicing, I’ve utilized a few different management and billing companies; I can unequivocally say that Park’s team is the best fit for my practice.
Not only are they meticulous in their handling of my finances, their vast knowledge with billing software, which I have to admit is difficult and confusing, has been of tremendous benefit to my practice.
On top of that, I must have had the same question multiple times regarding the billing software, and Mr. Park patiently explained and re-explained in person without any condescension. They are definitely worth every penny!
Hyok Yop Lee. MD
Hyok Yop Lee Allergy PC
(5.0)
We have been with Park Medical billing for 4 years and are very happy. They are easy to get in contact with and will fight for every dollar owed to you in your practice.
Eric Stivers, DPT, Owner
Mile High Physical Therapy PC
(5.0)
Chol and his team (shout out to Kristiana, Monica, and Kristen) have been more accommodating than I can express in our billing transition. He has patiently walked us through the process and been available for our many questions and with full explanations since the beginning.
Everyone in his office is friendly and professional, and more importantly, they mean business about helping our business make money. I am amazed at the detail with which his system is able to parse billing and collections in order to help us get an accurate handle on our facilities’ finances. We feel like we acquired another team member in Park Medical Billing
Chretien Cochran, CEO
Covington Physical Therapy Center
(5.0)
It has been a pleasure working with Chol and his team. They are timely and productive. They work with me to make the process as streamlined as possible.
Joel Giffin, PT, Owner
Flex Physical Therapy
(5.0)
Chol and staff have been nothing short of excellent since they took over our billing services. They process claims quickly, follow up on unpaid claims and use their scrubbing software to ensure that claims are correct and have modifiers if needed so we get paid faster.
Since hiring Park Medical Billing my life has become much less stressful.
Dennis Laccarino, Co-Owner
Bluebell Physical Therapy
(5.0)
Park Medical is everything we were looking for and more in a billing company. They went above and beyond our expectations.
Alex Brito, DPT, Owner
Springfield Physical Therapy
(5.0)
I am the owner of ABC Physical Therapy in Somerville NJ and I hired Park Medical in 2016 because I was having a disaster with the other billing company I had been using since Jan 2014. Since hiring Park Medical I have been able to sleep at night knowing everything is running smoothly now.
They do everything from A to Z and if I ever have a billing problem they always find a way to resolve the issue and get me back on my feet.
ABC Physical Therapy participates with almost all the insurance plans and because of this we are always messed up with authorizations or time lapses in authorizations because the insurance company issues them late to us and with Park Medical they are so SMART that they look at the issue’s then come up with a SOLUTION to fix the problem and get things running smoothly again so I can go back to work without worrying about billing problems.
I HIGHLY recommend this EXCELLENT company because they not only take care of your billing but they come up with SOLUTIONS to make things easier for you so the insurance companies do NOT drive you out of business with there diversionary tactics. I give them 5 stars. 🙂
William Medway, Owner
ABC Physical Therapy
(5.0)
Everyone at Park Medical billing is very friendly, knowledgeable and professional. They know Physical Therapy billing !!! Always able to speak with someone in the office who can take care of any billing questions you might have. Extremely happy with this company and highly recommend.
Matthew Holtzer, DPT, Owner
Holmdel Physical Therapy
(5.0)
As the owner and Clinical Director, I was extremely impressed with the level of commitment to have the staff from PMB not only listen to my concerns and questions, but to promptly and quickly respond and resolve.
The other component of their services, is their desire to share ideas and possibilities to improve my overall revenue. I would recommend the services of PMB and their staff, without ANY RESERVATIONS!!!!
Luis Hinc, Owner/Clinical Director
Fortaleza Rehab
(5.0)
We have nothing but high praise to offer for Park Medical Billing. From day one there has been a very consistent and clear line of contact between our business and PMB.
This means we can connect with our billing specialist right away, and any questions or issues we have are addressed in a very timely fashion.
We also appreciate how PMB has worked with us to customize the way we view our billing data so we can have quick and complete access to all claims and payments. PMB is highly recommended!
David Karge, PT, Director
Integrated Medical Care
(5.0)
I am writing in reference to Park Medical Billing Company. Early this year, TOPS Physical Therapy and Osteopractics, decided to change from in house billing to a billing company.
We interviewed several companies and made the decision to hire Park Medical Billing. We are very happy that we chose this company. From the beginning, Park Medical Billing Company was very informative, gave a comprehensive presentation, answered many of our questions before we had to ask them.
They are timely, follow through with commitments made and very accessible. We had to communicate quite often during our transition. The line of communication was always professional and never rushed. We are very happy with Park Medical Billing Company and I would definitely recommend them to you.
Teri Brannon, Office Manager
T.O.P.S. Physical Therapy