by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 22, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Miscellaneous Musings, Obesity & Wound Care
It’s the holidays so most people can expect to watch the scales move up. A WebMD article about holiday weight gain suggests that the problem is not that people gain a lot of weight during the holiday season but that they gain a little every holiday season —...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 21, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Medicare Audits
This is part of my series of articles about Useful Information on Medicare Audits. Palmetto is the MAC for: Region J: Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee (Region J) Region M: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia (excludes Part B for the counties of...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 20, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Medicare Audits
This is part of my series of articles about Useful Information on Medicare Audits. Palmetto is the MAC for: Region J: Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee (Region J) Region M: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia (excludes Part B for the counties of...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 20, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Medicare Audits
I am posting a series of articles with information directly from the websites of the various MACs. Anyone can access this and I feel a little silly posting it, but several clinicians have told me about audits they are undergoing and they had not paid attention either...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 17, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
This note to a physician was attached to the calling card of a CTP/skin sub rep. It shows the math that allows the doctor to make $3,680 profit per application of this CTP, and thus $14,720 profit, per patient, per month – in “Medicare patients only.” The...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 14, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders and the Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) are seeking more information on the posted rate for 2024 hyperbaric facility fees. Both organizations have urged practitioners to wait to submit comments to CMS until they...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 9, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
The Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule was published a few days ago and buried in a table was the new rate for G0277, the “facility fee” for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The rate for 2024 is $73.64 for a 30-minute segment from the current...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 9, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Medicare Audits
This is part of my series of articles about Useful Information on Medicare Audits. I am posting a series of blogs with information directly from the websites of the various MACs. Anyone can access this and I feel a little silly posting it, but several clinicians have...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 7, 2023 | Healthcare Payment Policy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Medicare Audits
I have been posting information from the MAC websites about audits and required documentation, particularly for HBOT. The Palmetto MAC website has detailed information about certain specific HBOT indications if you sufficiently medicated to manage the intense...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 6, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Medicare Audits
I have been posting information from the MAC websites about audits and required documentation, particularly for HBOT since that’s a huge audit focus. I got an email from a colleague in the Palmetto jurisdiction who for many months has been fighting denials for HBOT in...
