In January 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced a new initiative: Chronic Care Management (CCM). CCM is intended to assist clinicians in the routine care of patients with two or more chronic conditions by providing a reimbursement…
Successful Job Interviewing for Managers and Candidates
I am struck by the inane advice contained in most articles about job interviewing and the even more inane questions asked by interviewers (especially from HR departments). “What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in 5…
Chronic Care Management (CCM) – Places where you probably need help…
There are lots of nice white papers available about Chronic Care Management (CCM). There are conferences and seminars to teach you the basics of CCM. We have enough white papers on our site to let any providers navigate through most…
CCM – Don’t Go Blindly into the Abyss!
There are far too many providers of CCM services trying to tell you how easy this all is. “All you have to do is call the patient once a month, spend 20 minutes of time, and you get FREE MONEY!!!”…
Support Services Free Clinical Staff to Focus on Patients
The clinical staff in most medical providers’ offices are a busy group. They help patients in many ways, both in the exam room and after the office visit is completed. Not only do staff set up appointments, verify insurance, and…
Discussion of Undefined Patient Qualifying Elements Under 2015 Final Rule
CMS provides broad criteria for qualifying CCM eligible patients. Does CMS define which Chronic Conditions meet the criteria for CCM? NO! The Final Rule is broad on the subject and allows physicians to make medical decisions concerning their patients. Physicians must consider the multiple chronic…
Logging CCM Services – The Audit Trail
What might an auditor be interested in seeing in order to verify that your practice has delivered the minimum 20 minutes of qualified services for CCM? In order to bill under CPT 99940, CMS has outlined many requirements. However, the…
CMS News 7/14/2015: Fraud Prevention System Yields 10:1 ROI!
This is great news for taxpayers and mandates diligence for providers. CMS audit scope is set to expend additional audit resources towards documentation and compliance! Predictive analytic tools and techniques enables CMS to move past “pay and chase audits!” …
CCM Deductibles, Cost Sharing, and Routine Waivers
CCM, PFS CPT Code 99490, is subject to patient deductibles and cost-sharing. Must providers charge and collect the patient co-pay for CCM? How much does the Provider actually receive? Click here for more information about this topic.
Chronic Care Management (CCM): Competing Consent Agreements
To date, CMS guidance leaves many unanswered questions that challenge the implementation of CCM (CPT 99490), this discussion is confined to the issue of competing consent agreements! There’s the chance, that a qualifying patient for CCM may give consent to…
