Congress Partially Delays 2023 Medicare Cuts in New Package

Just before the holidays, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government. Included in the package was a provision to postpone the 4 percent Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Medicare pay cut slated to begin this year, but Congress fell short of preventing the full 4.5 percent reduction to Medicare Physician Fee Schedule payments. The result is an approximate 2 percent payment reduction in 2023 and at least an additional 1.25 percent in 2024.

Reflection: The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Changed Orthopaedic Surgery

Ronald A. Navarro, MD, FAAOS, FAOA

In the withdrawal following the throes of the pandemic, orthopaedic surgeons are searching for what comes next. The aftermath of COVID-19 on healthcare and its workforce will be long studied. The intersection of a selectively lethal infection, unprecedented social disruption, and the coincident emergence and innovations in telehealth has changed the practice of orthopaedics.

A Deeper Dive into the NCCI Procedure-to-Procedure Rationales and Narrative Guidelines

Sarah Wiskerchen, MBA, CPC

This article will dive more deeply into two aspects of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) program that impact orthopaedic coding: the Procedure-to-Procedure edit rationales and narrative guidelines. Understanding how the components of NCCI work is essential for maximizing reimbursement and managing compliance risk.

OrthoInfo Patient Education Is New and Improved

When people visit a healthcare website, they want to feel confident that they are receiving the most trustworthy and up-to-date information. With so much bad information online, however, it can be difficult to know whom to trust.