by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 16, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, The Patient's Voice
This email inquiry is from a real patient who is a retired nurse. I can answer some of her questions but not all of them, particularly the ones around when a patient might be required to sign an ABN for skin subs. I will post any helpful answers that you send...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 13, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products
CGS J15 Webinar on Skin Substitute Grafts/Cellular and Tissue-Based Products for the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Venous Leg Ulcers Join the CGS Chief Medical Officer on Friday, December 20, 2024, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM Eastern Time to review the following...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 12, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Active Work Plan items (e.g., OIG audits, evaluations, and inspections) that are underway or planned over the next 2 years. Investigations regarding various aspects of “skin substitute” use are on the list along with the...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 9, 2024 | Fight the Good Fight, Medicare Audits
Attorney Knicole Emanuel has published another fascinating blog! Check out her discussion about the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) and the False Claims Act (FCA). Many practitioners are undergoing the full alphabet soup of Medicare audits (TPE, UPIC, SMERC, RAC,...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 6, 2024 | Fight the Good Fight, The Patient's Voice
I saw this patient almost 5 years ago, but her case is one of those that I can’t get out of my mind. I now understand what I was looking at, but I didn’t understand it at the time. The woman was in her late 60’s and an orthopedic surgeon sent her to me because she...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 4, 2024 | Fight the Good Fight
This posting has been removed from a job website since I took these images. I have redacted the name and location of the company that posted the job. The posting was for a nurse practitioner with “wound experience highly preferred (but not required)” — although...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 2, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
Recently someone passed on what a clinician had told them about the Cellular Tissue Products / Skin Substitutes that they were using. The clinician said they were not worried about being paid for a particular product because it had an established ASP (Average Sales...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 26, 2024 | Miscellaneous Musings
There’s a lot for people to worry about these days. People are burned out and stressed out. And frankly, the holidays often make people feel worse instead of better. Instead of feeling thankful at Thanksgiving, many people just end up exhausted and annoyed, if not...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 25, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
You should read the entire LCD, because there is a lot to unpack. I will tackle various topics over the next several weeks, but here’s the list of covered and not-covered CTPs/skin subs for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and Venous Leg Ulcers (VLUs). When will the...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 22, 2024 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
On 12/10/2024, CGS (Cigna Government Contractors) will host a multi-jurisdictional Town Hall meeting to discuss the recently released final LCD(s) for Skin Substitute Grafts/Cellular and Tissue-Based Products for the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Venous Leg...
