One big important change is the use of past billing records, this is being done to help combat fraud and errors.  One other item worth mentioning is the fact they now want legible signatures, which might be a challenge to some.  Durable medical equipment must also be properly documented.

A Medicare initiative to better calculate fee-for-service payment error rates will result in new billing procedures for hospitals. The program also is reporting a much higher error rate than in past years.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services has revamped how it reviews Medicare claims for inpatient hospital services and has eliminated the use of past billing records as part of a complex medical review. The result of heightened scrutiny and a more complete accounting of fee-for-service claims is that Medicare’s 2009 FFS error rate was 7.8%, compared with 3.6% in 2008, according to CMS.
More information is available at https://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press_releases.asp and https://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp.

http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/billing-39385-1.html?ET=healthdatamanagement:e1085:120588a:&st=email

Now that we are in full swing with the H1N1, there is a video on YouTube you can watch and easily reference for some coding guidelines.
The video can be viewed at the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZz7eAeGmhc
A practice can’t charge for the vaccine, but can charge for administering the shot. V04.81 is the Diganosis code. The video has all the
rest of the information and codes you may need.
The current “Medical Billing Minute” focuses on the coding specifications
required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for billing out the
administration of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.Although the actual vaccine is not
billable, the video clearly explains what can be billed and what healthcare
professionals can expect to be reimbursed.

The series of free videos to follow the current “Medical Billing Minute” are
designed to inform providers of current medical coding and billing
information.In addition to general medical billing procedures and coding updates
some specific topics to be covered are Red Flag Rules, HIPAA compliance and
auditing, along with other government regulations.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS98639+23-Oct-2009+BW20091023

With all the recent talk and concern about H1N1, here’s a short update on what codes to use for the vaccine.

The AMA has released theirs:

90470—H1N1 immunization administration (intramuscular, intranasal), including counseling when performed

90663—Influenza virus vaccine, pandemic formulation, H1N1

CMS also has their codes:

Medicare will be using G9141 for the administration and counseling, and G9142 for the vaccine.

Hope this little bit of information is helpful.

 Recently in the news, Emdeon had their first public offering, an IPO and now is set to expand their offices.

Emdeon provides software and hardware that links patients with hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and insurers for eligibility and billing.  The new site is said to contain 34,200 square feet.  Up until recently Cigna had an exclusive agreement with Emdeon but has now relaxed this to allow other clearinghouses to participate in claim processing.
 WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — After launching an Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange just weeks earlier, medical billing company Emdeon (www.emdeon.com) has announced plans to open a new Nashville data center.

http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/082709_Medical_Billing_Firm_Emdeon_to_Build_Nashville_Data_Center