Health care providers often face frustrating delays in getting reimbursed for services, however there are some ways to speed the process. In the June 2007 Issue of Dermatology Nursing, Lisa L. Spoden, Executive Director, Association of Dermatology Administrators/Managers and a former Medicare Fair Hearing officer, outlines effective strategies to improve the chance of a fair, accurate and timely reimbursement:
- Don't use outdated materials
- Don't use truncated diagnosis codes
- Identify patients correctly
- Use modifiers properly
- Use the right site-of-service code
- Don't omit referring physicians name and NPI #
Spoden also presents 11 items that every dermatology office's coding and compliance library should contain to help staff avoid mistakes. (
Ensuring Timely Reimbursement; Lisa L. Spoden, PhD, MS, BA, June 2007, www.dermatologynursing.net)
Source:Dermatology Nurses' Association
