These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged urgent care centers” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. In this …
Read MoreMedicare Modifier PD, Fracture Visit Coding, Coding for Emergent Transport, ‘Big Ticket’ Reimbursement Codes, Medicare CLIA-Waived Codes
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. What is the new modifier PD? A. If your urgent care center is owned by a hospital or health system, then Medicare has a new modifier for your center. The new HCPCS Level II Modifier PD is defined as a “diagnostic or related non-diagnostic item or service provided in a wholly owned or wholly operated entity to a patient who is admitted as an inpatient within 3 days, or …
Read MoreCuring ‘Cancer’
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP So you missed the “cancer.” Maybe you still don’t even know you missed it. At this point the patient (your business) is dying and you plod along unaware of the impending doom, like a smoker with a chronic cough. Your business is losing weight, its cheeks are sunken, skin sallow, as it grows weaker each passing month. One day soon it will start coughing up blood, and then it …
Read MoreWorkplace Bullying and its Costs to the Urgent Care Operation
Urgent message: More than one third of U.S. employees say they have been bullied in the workplace. Does your practice have a policy in place to thwart this insidious problem? If not, it should. Alan A. Ayers, MBA, MACC What is the Difference Between Diversity and Tolerance? According to one definition, diversity is anything that makes you different while tolerance is not persecuting people who are different. Many urgent care operations strive for a unified …
Read MoreMissing a ‘Cancer’
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP My worst fear: I miss a cancer. Of all things to miss, I worry about this the most. Miss a myocardial infarction, stroke, or appendicitis and you figure it out quickly because it smacks you right in the face. Conversely, cancer simmers along. A few months or even years go by and everything seems fine, then all hell breaks loose. The symptoms reach epic – if not life-threatening – …
Read MoreCoding for I&D Follow-Up, R-codes and POS 20, Coding for Compression Bandage
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.We have so many MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) I&Ds (incision and drainage). The follow-up for changing the packing are numerous and time-consuming, and it feels wrong to have them just included in the global procedure like any other wound check or suture removal. What’s the right way to handle this? Annie Miranda, Hopewell Junction, NY A. This is a complicated question. To code these procedures, you can consider using the …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: March, 2012
These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged care centers” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. The 2010 survey …
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Buy or Lease Your Next Urgent Care Site?
Urgent message: After location, how to pay for an urgent care site is crucial to your success. Here’s how to think it through. MICHAEL ZELNIK, CCIM Once you’ve found the right location for your next urgent care (see An Urgent Care Site That Maximizes Revenue, JUCM, September 2011), your focus can turn to analyzing the risks and benefits of leasing or purchasing property in the trade area you’ve identified. This analysis should be more than …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: February, 2012
These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged urgent care center” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. In this …
Read MoreAdministration Codes for Injections, Billing for Medicare Wellness Exam, Billing Joint Injections With E/Ms, Coding for Keloid Injection
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. What is the appropriate administration code for a Medicare patient who receives influenza, Pneumovax, and tetanus vaccinations? What are the proper administration codes for the same patient if he/she receives a tetanus and flu shot? Name Withheld A. For Medicare: Influenza vaccine administration is G0008 Pneumovax administration is G0009 Tetanus vaccine administration is 90471 Q. If you perform an annual Medicare wellness exam, can you bill for additional services …
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