DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.Can CPT code S9083 be billed with an E/M service code or would this be considered double dipping? You would not typically add CPT code S9083 to an E/M service unless instructed to do so specifically by an insurance company. CPT code S9083, “Global fee urgent care centers,” would be used in instances where the insurance company has stated that the reimbursement is based on a flat rate (global fee …
Read MoreContinue CPR! or How to Save the Patient and Screw the Pooch1
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP So there I was (all good stories start this way), having just participated in saving a 58-year-old guy who collapsed while playing golf with his buddies. It was a classic v-fib arrest—dropped after hitting a great drive right down the middle of the fairway. The man’s friends started CPR, paramedics arrived and shocked him out of VF into a sinus rhythm and intubated him. While in the emergency department …
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Offering Patient WiFi in the Urgent Care Center
Urgent message: The costs of and barriers to adding WiFi to an urgent care center are low and the benefits include a better patient experience and improved perception of wait times. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc, Experity WiFi is now ubiquitous. Step into most any coffee house, theme restaurant, library, shopping mall or other service establishment and you’ll find that Internet access is readily available and usually free of charge. Many hospitals have also introduced …
Read MoreIt’s Not Just Drugs and Rock and Roll
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP The one thing I have left out has been… well…sex. Sex has over the years I have attempted to cover it all. Drugs, rock and roll, BFRF (big F-ing red flag), airplane crashes, you name it. Sex has always been a challenging and awkward subject or me. In fact, I cried the first time I had sex—thank God I was alone. Anyway, speaking of God, my challenges with this subject …
Read MoreInhalation Treatments, OSHA Required Respiratory Questionnaires, Preventive Care Services
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q.Can nebulizer treatments and instructions for use of the nebulizer inhaler be billed together? Who can perform these services in an urgent care center? A. There are two codes associated with nebulizer treatment and instruction: 94640, “Pressurized or non-pressurized inhalation treat- ment for acute airway obstruction or for sputum induc- tion for diagnostic purposes (e.g., with an aerosol generator, nebulizer, metered dose inhaler or intermit- tent positive pressure breathing [IPPB] device”; …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: January, 2013
These data from the 2012 Urgent Care Industry Benchmarking Study are based on a sample of 1,732 urgent care centers; 95.2% of the respondents were UCAOA members. Among other criteria, the study was limited to centers that have a licensed provider onsite at all times; have two or more exam rooms; typically are open 7 days/week, 4 hours/day, at least 3,000 hours/year; and treat patients of all ages (unless specifically a pediatric urgent care). In …
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Understanding the Landscape of Occupational Medicine
Urgent message: Expanding into occupational medicine requires a long-term commitment and willingness to respond to employer and employee needs. ALAN A. AYERS, MBA, MAcc, Experity Urgent care providers have conventionally defined their offering as “treatment of acutely rising episodic medical conditions.” However, widespread acceptance of the urgent care business model-retail-facing locations, extended hours, and walk-in service—has led many urgent care centers to expand into longitudinal primary care as well as occupational medicine. Specifically, when people …
Read MoreDeveloping Data: December, 2012
Developing Data These data from the 2010 Urgent Care Benchmarking Survey are based on responses of 1,691 US urgent care centers; 32% were UCAOA members. The survey was limited to “full-fledged urgent care centers” accepting walk-ins during all hours of operation; having a licensed provider and x-ray and lab equipment onsite; the ability to administer IV fluids and perform minor procedures; and having minimal business hours of seven days per week, four hours per day. …
Read MoreBilling for Medications, Supplies, and X-rays
DAVID STERN, MD (Practice Velocity) Q. What is the CPT code for Tetracaine Ophthalmic used in an urgent care setting? A. If you are referring to the drops used as part of the treatment in the office, then you should not charge separately for them. They are part of the E/M service. If you are providing a bottle of the solution for a patient to use at home, there are a few practical issues to …
Read More‘Why Can’t We All Get Along?’
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP It’s not often you get to quote the late Rodney King, but there it is. Mr. King’s quote was made famous during the Los Angeles riots, which were arguably incited by the acquittal of the police officers accused of excessive force during Mr. King’s arrest. In 1860, a book review on medico-legal jurisprudence argued that “law and medicine had evolved into mutually incompatible professions.”1 One hundred and sixty-two years …
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