CEO Letter

I hope your summer is going well. Where we are in Upstate South Carolina, we have had minimal summer weather with loads of rain and cooler than normal temperatures. My wife loves gardening and insists on growing (and canning/storing) our vegetables, fruits, and herbs (culinary and medicinal). The garden is hit and miss so far this season, and she is devastated but still trying diverse options to get the results of previous years. We are opting for different fertilizer to see if that helps, as well as trying “electroculture” for the first time (the copper tubing arrived yesterday so keep your fingers crossed!) in hopes that it sparks growth. Gardening is typically a source of peace for her, but the frustration at not getting anything close to previous results by this time of the year is causing her concern. If you’re a gardener, you understand how tenuous the balance of a garden is and how much time it takes to grow and curate nature’s bounty. I hope yours is going well!

So, to this issue. Our cover, written by Betty Hovey, is on the CERT (Comprehensive Error Rate Testing) program. She has broken it down into what to expect and what practices need to do. If you have Medicare providers, this is an important article for you to read.

We have an article written by Joanne Byron from AIHC that discusses becoming a resilient leader during trying times. We need strong and capable leaders in our workplaces right now, and someone who can adapt to provide that to their staff is beneficial on so many levels. Rachel Rose has written on the AntiKickback statute, so be sure to check that out as violations are expensive and ignorance is not a defense. Terry Fletcher has written on the use of AI in healthcare, and even though I understand how this can help with tasks, etc., I am concerned with the way that we are embracing this type of technology. It’s moving so fast and can be abused so badly.

ERISA is an all-important and often misunderstood topic, and we welcome Franklin J. Rooks’ article for an overview for healthcare providers. Amy Wilcox from Find-A-Code has written two pieces that will help readers understand modifiers 76 and 77, as well as the identification of diagnoses for reporting and sequencing purposes. We also welcome Ritesh Ramesh with his article on overcoding, and another well-written piece from Compliance Group on HIPAA rules for medical billing. These are all must-reads for medical coders and billers.

As usual, it’s a jam-packed issue full of different topics that I hope you find as interesting as I do.

Until next time.

Storm Kulhan

editor Amber Joffrion, M.A. editorial@billing-coding.com ceo - publisher Storm Kulhan storm@billing-coding.com coo Nichole Anderson, CPC nichole@billing-coding.com subscriptions manager Ashley Knight ashley@billing-coding.com advertising sales@billing-coding.com

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