by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 10, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Fight the Good Fight
Check out the entire series here. Here’s another message that I agreed to post anonymously that asks many questions we are asking: Why are two products made in the same tissue lab and identical as far as any of us can tell, priced completely differently, with one of...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 9, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
There is increasing awareness that not only does chronic illness negatively impact mental health, but that conditions like depression negatively impact the effectiveness of treatment! Many thanks to Eric Ansart for reminding us about the impact of lymphedema on mental...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 9, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Fight the Good Fight
Check out the entire series here. Dr. Fife, I thought you should see this advertisement for “research” with CTPs/skin subs. It’s not an isolated case. Many of them are doing this where the MACs have cracked down on Rebate programs, particularly in nursing...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 5, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Featured
Check out the entire series here. Let’s talk about the column that is NOT discussed in this table (from a manufacturer’s advertisement previously posted), and that is the patient responsible portion. I added a column to represent the patient co-pay if the patient does...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 5, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
I’ve collated and summarized the answers to the questions I have been asking. THANK YOU – to everyone who took the time to explain this complex system. This post is long. However, if you want to understand how we got here – you will know when you are done reading....
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 4, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Fight the Good Fight
Check out the entire series here. This morning I got an email from a friend and colleague who is one of the best and most ethical wound care practitioners that I know. His letter below points out the problem that started this mess, which is the methodology behind...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 4, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes
Check out the entire series here. I am getting a lot of comments by folks who feel that they should remain anonymous because otherwise they put their job at risk. I am going to post anonymous comments from people I know well enough to trust. If you want to send me a...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 3, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Featured
Check out the entire series here. Here is another example. Feel free to keep sending me examples and I will redact the names of the company and post. Can anyone tell me why no invoice is needed to submit these claims and exactly how these profits are being realized?...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 2, 2023 | Cellular / Tissue-Based Products, CTP / Skin Substitutes, Fight the Good Fight
I know there is widespread celebration over the fact that 3 MACs have rescinded their Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs) for CTPs/skin subs. There’s no question that there were a LOT of problems with those LCDs. However, the MACs are attempting to manage bad...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Sep 29, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Medicare Audits
I’ve been publishing a series of articles about Useful Information on Medicare Audits. First Coast is the MAC for Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands. Here’s the checklist First Coast used for a Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) audit. Checklist looks the...
