by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 23, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Quality Payment Program
In a recent interview, American Medical Association (AMA) President Barbara McAneny discussed the fact that insurance prior authorization can create major disruptions to patient care and significant administrative burdens to the physician’s office. The AMA estimates...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 20, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
Of 17 patients with wounds I saw in a single day last week, 11 had lymphedema (64%). They include: 1 with a history of prostate cancer radiation 1 with congestive heart failure and a history of lung cancer 1 with breast cancer lymphedema 1 with scleroderma 3 with...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Mar 1, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Quality Payment Program
Yesterday a friend who practices hyperbaric medicine called me about a reimbursement question because she had just read the Novitas LCD on the subject. I told her that the Novitas LCD was the least of our problems. HBOT utilization is down 50% across the USA. Listed...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Feb 14, 2018 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
Happy Valentine’s Day to my patients and my amazing nurses. Watch the incredible video of this wound dripping lymphatic fluid: [vimeo 255462091 w=800 h=1422] This movie is of a man in his 70’s who has had prostate cancer with radiation to the pelvis and a DVT in that...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Aug 2, 2017 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Shin Radiation Madness
Someone please stop the skin cancer radiation therapy madness! In exactly 12 months I have seen five cases of severe soft tissue radiation injury to the anterior shin from local radiation for skin cancer. I have been able to really help 3 of these patients, using...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | May 31, 2017 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
ALERT! “Targeted” Pre-payment review of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to occur in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska The Medicare Administrative Carrier “WPS” has announced a Targeted Medical Review (TMR) of 100 claims for hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the states of...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jul 29, 2016 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
Friday’s Featured Friend and Guest Blogger is none other than Helen Gelly, MD, FUHM, FACCWS, UHM/ABPM. When it rains, it pours. There seems to be no end to the rain clouds on the horizon for hyperbaric medicine. But HBO is not the only specialty at risk. CMS...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 23, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
As the post-payment review process for HBOT rolls out across the USA, hyperbaric clinicians are going to need to do a lot of thinking about the role of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, their approach to patient care, and their relationship to the medical record. CMS is...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 20, 2015 | Fight the Good Fight, Health Information Technology and Wound Care
In the upcoming November edition of Today’s Wound Clinic, Helen Gelly, MD has written a very informative “Educational Note to Provider.” Helen, and Joe Darrah, the Managing Editor of TWC have graciously allowed me to share this The prior authorization...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 2, 2015 | Cassandra Chronicles: Regulatory and Coverage Policy, Miscellaneous Musings, Pressure Cooker: Rethinking Pressure Ulcers, US Wound Registry
You may remember a previous blog post of mine explaining why even though at first blush, the ICD-10 code cross-walked for the 990 “late effects of radiation” code might not seem to make sense, it really did? I won’t go back through the logic here, but the point is...
