The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has identified nine National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) code pair edits that were erroneously included in the integrated outpatient code editor (I/OCE) version 10.0 with an implementation date of Jan. 5.
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January 30th, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published Jan. 26 in the Federal Register a correction (FR Doc E9-1519) to the 2009 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)/Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) final rule regarding HCPCS code J3300.
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The number of outpatient surgery visits in the United States increased about 40 percent in the past 10 years — from 20.8 million in 1996 to 34.7 million in 2006. Free-standing centers saw the most activity, with the leading cause for visits being endoscopies of the large and small intestines, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some argue that peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) have too many setbacks to make them a viable option for post-operative pain management. Others disagree. Brian Williams, MD, and Steven Orebaugh, MD, take a stab at “Dispelling 8 Peripheral Nerve Block Myths,” in the January 2009 online edition of Outpatient Surgery magazine. The article refers to another informative article, “The Economics of Peripheral Nerve Blocks,” featured in the March 2008 online edition of Outpatient Surgery.
The familiar statement “turn off the TV and do your homework” may be outdated. A recent study found all medical students watch TV medical dramas. Educators, however, debate whether shows like “House” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are viable sources for medical learning.
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