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The Top 10 Coding and Billing Errors of Optometry

The Top 10 Coding & Billing Errors of Optometry

Coding and billing is a hot topic for any practice and it has gained prominence in the last couple of years as awareness for proper medical billing and coding has increased. Doctors are becoming more aware about the benefits of proper billing and the pitfalls of ignoring this activity. Different practices have different tactics or methods to carry out the medical billing and coding activity and some of them turn out to be pretty creative. Similarly, practices have a lot of complaints about the same questioning the rejection or denial of a claim which ultimately leads to loss of profitability.

Following are the Optometry coding and billing errors that affect reimbursement:

1. A duplicate claim is submitted

If a submitted claim is an exact duplicate of a previous claim which was submitted, they will be denied on the grounds of being duplicate. This could happen because the claim might have been previously processed but it was not paid for some reason. Hence, to get the payment, the claim is refiled and it is considered a duplicate.

2. Billing for non-covered services

Optometrists need to be careful about billing for the correct services. In a case where an excluded Medicare service like fitting and changing of eyeglasses or contact lenses despite no injury to the eye, it cannot be charged.

3. Medical necessity not established

If the payer does not see the procedure or diagnosis as a medical necessity, then the claim can be denied.

4. Incorrect bundling of services

This shows a lack of awareness of NCCI which governs the appropriateness of the tests being administered on the same date.

5. Ineligible beneficiary

A claim which is submitted for the beneficiary who may not have the Medicare eligibility. Reason for the ineligibility could vary from Medicare number being invalid to the beneficiary not being eligible to receive this benefit.

6.Submission of payment to incorrect carrier

If the claim is submitted to an incorrect payer the claim gets denied. For instance, one needs to be careful about the fact that if medical eye care services have been provided then the medical claim has to be submitted to the medical carrier.

7. Medicare turns out to be a secondary payer

By the way of co-ordination of benefits; another payer might provide care for a Medicare patient. Hence be thorough with your knowledge of the payers.

8. Incorrect diagnosis

When a primary listed diagnosis is not covered then the services can be denied for the procedures that have been performed.

9. Ambiguity in modifier

The modifier is necessary to complete the claim, in a scenario where the modifier is missing, incomplete or invalid, the claim gets denied.

10. Ambiguity in provider number

If the item numbers 24K and 33 are filled out incorrectly or the UPIN is incorrect or incomplete, it results in a denial of the claim.

Coding and billing are seemingly complex however keeping a tab on current and published policies which are easily available will ensure a high degree of success within the practice. Avoiding these top errors can take the optometry revenue cycle management and move towards greater profitability.

FAQs

1. What is a duplicate claim, and why does it get denied?

A duplicate claim is when the same claim is submitted more than once, often by mistake. It is denied because it is considered a repeat of a previously processed claim.

2. Can optometrists bill for non-covered services like eyeglasses?

No, services such as fitting and changing eyeglasses or contact lenses, which are not covered by Medicare, cannot be billed. This can lead to claim denials.

3. Why is it important to establish medical necessity in a claim?

Without proving that the procedure or diagnosis is medically necessary, the claim may be denied. Payers require this for reimbursement approval.

4. What happens if services are incorrectly bundled in a claim?

Incorrect bundling of services may violate NCCI guidelines, resulting in denied claims for tests or services provided together on the same date.

5. What can cause a claim to be denied due to ineligible beneficiaries?

A claim may be denied if the patient does not have valid Medicare eligibility, such as an invalid Medicare number or ineligible coverage.

MBC
Published By - Medical Billers and Coders
Published Date - Apr-18-2016
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