10 Nov November To-Do List: Preparing for Coding Changes
How prepared do you and your practice feel about handling the (fast approaching) E&M coding & documentation changes? This November to-do list should help instill more confidence.
November 2020
- Review the following resources with all your providers. Make sure they have a firm understanding of the changes.
- Heads Up: Coding Changes Coming January 2021 (On-Demand Webinar) – We recommend that you get acclimated to what the 2021 Office Visit E&M Coding & Documentation changes entail. In a presentation given by Dr. Sue Kressly, you’ll learn about the major changes and their potential impact on practice workflow.
- 2021 CPT Coding Changes: The Importance of Preparing Now (On-Demand Webinar) – Watch as Dr. Sue Kressly discusses the importance of preparing now for the 2021 Office Visit E&M Coding & Documentation changes.
- Medical Decision Making Made Easy(er) (Podcast) – On this podcast, Dr. Sue Kressly, MD, FAAP breaks down how Medical Decision Making (MDM) can help with the upcoming 2021 Office Visit E&M Coding changes.
- 2021 Coding Changes: Practice Checklist – Use this checklist, compiled by Dr. Sue Kressly, to prepare for the changes to coding/documentation that will take effect on January 1, 2021. The checklist provides a monthly breakdown of tasks to complete to make sure your practice is prepared for these major changes.
- Consider adding language about medication management to your templates – where medications are commonly prescribed. Why, you ask? Because medication management increases MDM in the “risk” category.
- Sample wording: “Prescription drug management will include making care decisions based on response to medication and/or reported side effects.”
- If you use templates for sick visits, consider how you could assist providers in understanding which diagnoses fall into different problem statuses as defined by the AMA (such as self-limited/minor, acute, uncomplicated, chronic stable, etc.). Agree as a practice how you will document total time spent consistently.
- Agree as a practice how you will document use of an independent historian.
- Review your E/M coding distribution per provider now, and keep this recorded somewhere so you will have a way to track, starting in January.
- Register for our live, interactive event, 2021 Office Visit E/M Coding Changes: Case Scenarios to Test Pediatric Practices Preparedness, being held on December 8. This is a great opportunity for you and your staff to practice coding without risking actual revenue.