As we continue to monitor developments surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, ABC is working with industry leaders and business partners to bring you the most relevant information during this time of uncertainty. The following announcement is the result of our discussions with principals at Grant Thornton, a leading accounting firm with g...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a fact sheet explaining how it intends to put money directly into the hands of professional clinicians and hospitals whose surgical caseloads—and income—have plummeted due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. According to the fact sheet, "CMS is authorized to provide accelerated o...

SummaryAs the coronavirus contagion reaches into every state and community, many hospitals are asking their anesthesia providers to take on new duties, including critical care. The following article will help provide our clients with the rules related to critical care documentation and billing.With the swift-moving changes we are all facing in this...

As we continue to monitor developments surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), ABC will update our client-partners as appropriate. Accordingly, we wish to pass on to you the following legislative update from Grant Thornton, which we hope you will find helpful during this time of uncertainty.Tax Legislative UpdateBreaking news from Capitol Hill From...

​As we continue to monitor developments surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the government's response to the viral outbreak, ABC will update our client-partners as appropriate. Accordingly, we wish to pass on to you the following news release, which we hope you will find helpful during this time of uncertainty.Board of Governors of the Feder...

Summary: While there is virtually no difference in payment success for general versus MAC GI cases, some anesthesia providers continue to document MAC—even where the patient loses consciousness. Today's article addresses the difference between these two anesthesia types and their current applications and implications in gastrointestinal cases....

​ABC stands with its anesthesia and pain management partners and with all who are helping to bring healing at this critical time. Artist Josef Lee created this piece to bring support and inspiration to healthcare professionals. Learn more here: IG: https://www.instagram.com/joseflee.stories/ orFB: https://www.facebook.com/joseflee.stories/.​COVID-1...

SummaryGroups don't always understand the requirements of the locum tenens arrangement. Who can be a locum? How long can their services be used? In what way can we utilize them? These are questions we hope to answer for our readers in today's article."Lawd, I was born a ramblin' man. Trying to make a living and doing the best I can. But when it's t...

SummaryIs dental anesthesia a service anesthesia practices should be more focused on? Probably not, as it tends to be a small part of most group practices. Still, as some practices have discovered, it can provide some additional revenue.Periodically, we are asked by our clients if they should be more aggressively pursuing dental opportunities. Is d...

SummaryAnesthesia providers have long been familiar with the basic TEE services and the primary TEE codes, but are they are aware of additional services that relate to TEE that are also available? Which of these are actually billable and what are the clinical and documentation standards for each? These are some of the questions we hope to answer in...

SummaryThough rarely documented, and perhaps seldom used, utilization of total body hypothermia or controlled hypotension can each generate an extra five units per case. The problem is some payers won't reimburse it and some providers fail to document it.There are two little-used codes in the ASA Relative Value Guide (RVG) that may warrant a bit mo...

 SummaryThe rules for billing and documenting TEE services can seem complex and confusing. What type of TEE is billable? What credentials are necessary to perform a TEE? What documentation do I have to provide to ensure I get paid? These and other questions are addressed and answered in today's article.Not everyone can look into the human hear...

SummaryAnesthesia groups are increasingly pulled in different directions. Whether contracted or not to do so, group providers are often asked to address patient needs that occur outside of the operating room suite. As most of these services are unplanned, it can add difficulty to the group's ability to optimize and measure utilization.Anesthesia se...

SummaryIncreasingly, anesthesia practices are migrating from hard-copy anesthesia records to their electronic counterpart, i.e., EMRs. There are advantages and disadvantages to these systems. This article explores what groups can expect to encounter when moving to an electronic anesthesia record and how to ensure that the EMR appropriately captures...

SummaryWith the growing popularity and usage of Ketamine as both an anesthetic and therapeutic agent, some anesthesia practices are considering adding Ketamine infusion therapy to their line of business. This article addresses the pros and cons of setting up a Ketamine clinic.Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic agent well known to all anesthesia prov...

​SummaryPain rounds may be an overlooked or uncertain part of an anesthesia practice from a billing or compliance perspective. Today's article seeks to bring clarity to this topic so that anesthesia providers are more informed about how they might be correctly compensated for this important service.In recent weeks, we have provided our readers with...

Summary: We receive a lot of inquiries concerning anesthesia for chronic pain blocks. The question is whether or not this is a worthwhile service to undertake and to what extent does it present concerns. The answer includes both good and bad news. It is a payable service under certain circumstances today, but future reimbursement is very uncertain....

Each January brings about new rules for anesthesia practices. For the most part, there were minimal CPT, RVG and Crosswalk changes for 2020, and we expect minimal impact to anesthesia groups based on federal regulations that went into effect this month.With every new year there is the prospect of change. It's the primary role that January 1 seems t...

SummaryThis year provided new challenges to America's anesthesia groups. This article takes a look back at the year that was and summarizes the issues and trends that were most important to the practice of anesthesia.As we close out 2019 and prepare ourselves for a new year, it is time to seriously assess the events and developments that impacted t...

SummaryObstetric anesthesia is either a make-or-break service for anesthesia practices. Its unique aspects, including (a) the use of epidurals that don't require continuous attention, (b) the ability to manage multiple cases simultaneously, and (c) complex, diverse and inconsistent billing rules, make it a subject for special consideration.From a b...