Podiatry is specific to the procedures for toe, ankle, or foot treatments, so medical billing and coding is a specialized process with detailed and specific codes. It also carries very precise guidelines and policies for the procedure to be billed. Your Podiatry practice cannot ignore the rapid changes and updates in the codes or will suffer from incomplete claims, decreased revenues, and possible audits. It requires the transition to ICD-10 coding as well as the varied codes for a wide range of medical and surgical procedures. A compliant billing and coding Podiatry Practice must keep in mind –
Compliant Billing and Coding for your Podiatry Practice
- Relevant CPT codes – Current Procedural Technology (CPT) ensures that your practice is following the latest and most up-to-date coding for your patients. The codes and policies of CPT facilitate accurate coding of claims for the services provided and regular revenue generation.
- Payer Specific Coding – The different procedures carried out by the doctors of Podiatric medicine have complex coding but it is differently coded by different payers. It is essential for your medical staff to be well aware of the anatomy and different codes for different payers to correctly code these patients’ billing.
- Transition to ICD-10 coding – All medical practices will be converted to the ICD-10 billing and coding procedures by the last quarter of this year. Your practice must start the process of this transition as early as possible to ensure mistakes, incorrect coding, billing, and claim errors are minimized. Training of the staff for this transition must also be initiated by your Podiatry practice to ensure that the practice is compliant with the latest billing and coding practices.
- HIPAA compliance – The guidelines and standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be followed in all procedures and interactions with clients. The changes and new guidelines must be followed to allow better billing and coding practices as well as decrease fraudulent dealings and reduce the overall expense of your podiatry practice.
- Trained support staff – If you use your time for coding all your patients then your podiatry practice and patients are denied of your valuable expertise as a medical expert and your revenues also suffer. The need for well-trained staff to carry out all coding and billing for patients is essential so that you devote maximum time to serving your patients. The process of coding, reimbursement, and compliance goes hand in hand. It is possible for these to be accurate with the help of trained staff.
- Adopt Revenue Cycle Management – The adoption of RCM for your Podiatry Practice ensures seamless billing, coding, claims management, and collections. The accounts are received on time and your practice offers the best and most comprehensive services to your patients.