Foot and ankle coding overview

Mary LeGrand, RN, MA, CCS-P, CPC

Answers to your questions on foot and ankle coding Reporting services for foot and ankle procedures—especially surgery on the toes—is challenging. Payer rules related to modifiers further complicate the claims submission process and increase the challenges faced by the appeals team. Modifier usage, as well as payers’ acceptance of modifiers 50, 51, 59 and the toe modifiers discussed in this article, is based on CPT rules and Medicare’s Correct Coding Initiatives (CCI) edits.

Don’t take your physical facility for granted

Steven E. Fisher, MBA

Eleven ideas to consider in 2011 and beyond Orthopaedic practices vary greatly in how they operate on a day-to-day basis. But they all have the following overhead outlays: staff salaries, occupancy, employee benefits, drugs and medical/surgical supplies, and professional liability insurance. These five expenses account for more than 75 percent of total overhead.

Back from the brink?

Richard J. Barry, MD

Lessons orthopaedists need to learn—now! “The Death of an Orthopaedic Group” (AAOS Now, April 2011) was both disturbing and timely. I believe that all orthopaedists are, to some degree, at risk for extinction as the economic conditions of orthopaedic practice become increasingly unfavorable. Because my partners and I have recently struggled to bring our group back from the edge of economic oblivion, I believe that Dr.

Taking care of ourselves to better care for our patients

Luis T. Sanchez, MD

Heeding the adage,“Physician, heal thyself,” is no mean task It seems that physicians are more frequently expressing the sentiment that their joy in the practice of medicine is vanishing. The pressures of practice, liability concerns, and increasing requirements and regulations are some contributory factors. How do we as physicians cope? How can we provide the best care for patients if we do not care for ourselves? We physicians are often reluctant to seek help.

Communication matters

Mark C. Gebhardt, MD

From reducing litigation to improving patient care, communication is key One of the two premises of the Communications Skills Mentoring Program (CSMP), a 4-hour seminar developed by the Academy under the guidance of John R. Tongue, MD, and S. Terry Canale, MD, is that communication matters. The other premise is that communication techniques can be learned. Why does communication matter?

What does it take to make our practices safe?

S. Jay Jayasankar, MD

Invisible elements include personal awareness, leadership, and decision-making skills As orthopaedic surgeons, we are constantly honing our professional knowledge and skills; we, our practice staff, and our hospital teams are increasingly patient safety conscious. How, then, does patient safety elude us? Mindfulness These foundational ‘safety blocks’ need to be held together by practice skills that make up the ‘invisible mortar.’ A seminal element of this mortar is our mindfulness.