Practice Management

"Based on the definitions from the ASA and coverage rules for Medicare, the use of nitrous oxide for urology procedures is a noncovered service," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

As 2023 comes to a close, we revisit some of this year’s top content on coding in urology.

Expert advice for physicians seeking new coverage.

“Physician recipients of peer support reported improved well-being, decreased negative emotions and stigma, and perceived positive cultural changes within their departments,” the authors wrote.

The median number of harms criteria reported in RCTs in urology increased from 5.3 in 2012 to 7.2 in 2020.

The survey highlights the challenges and opportunities physicians encounter in hospital- and corporate-owned settings.

Leading West Michigan practice now affiliated with nation’s largest urological healthcare management company

"The conversion factor is slated to undergo a reduction of approximately 3.37% for 2024, decreasing from $33.89 in 2023 to $32.74," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

Technology may save health care professionals’ time and help reduce burnout.

"As more patients become interested in remote patient monitoring and case studies continue to show improved patient outcomes, practices must seek ways to integrate these tools into their workflows," writes Lucienne Marie Ide, MD, PhD.

Although traditional payment and communication methods remain relevant, the survey highlights a paradigm shift in patients' billing expectations overall.

"The end of the year presents a good opportunity to regroup, close out 2023 in the strongest position possible, and ready yourself for 2024," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

AI scribe solutions are one of the easiest technologies to deploy into existing workflows, writes Vadim Khazan.

“As private equity firms increasingly engage in urology, key stakeholders, including policymakers and urologists, need to ensure that the quality of care is not compromised with the structural changes implemented after acquisition," write the authors.

"Many of the new codes are CPT Category III codes, which will require additional research for both coverage and payment rates, especially with private payers," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

Patients fear their personal data could be compromised, with 63% concerned increasing use of artificial intelligence will put their health information at risk.

Artificial intelligence can help curate, decipher, and contextualize the enormous and growing amount of digital data that now comprises a patient’s electronic health record, writes Nele Jessel, MD.

In this installment, Christopher E. Ramsey, MD, FACS, and Rachel Vann, MSN, RN, NP-C, highlight Tennessee Urology, an affiliate of United Urology Group.

"Make the proper beneficiary designation adjustments when warranted and review these annually with your adviser to ensure they remain up-to-date and make financial sense given your current situation," writes Jeff Witz, CFP.

"The question of when a surgeon should retire has been the subject of debate for decades," writes Raj S. Pruthi, MD.

"ICD-10-CM coding denials have been increasing across the country as payers continue to refine edits," write Jonathan Rubenstein, MD, and Mark Painter.

In the survey, 81% of residents in their final year of training reported that they sometimes, often, or always experienced feelings of burnout during their training.

"It is the right time and I have been fortunate to have such great people to work with locally and nationally," a urologist writes.

“A hybrid telehealth approach expands access to specialized care, reduces travel burdens, promotes timely interventions, and enables continuous management of health conditions,” writes Kara Hartl, MD.

"At some point, it will make sense, and it will be obvious to me and to my colleagues that it is time," a urologist writes.

"We all need to revisit meaningful methods for ongoing assurance of competency specific to our fields of medicine and surgery across the physician career span," writes Hal H. Atkinson, MD, MS.

Proper coding for percutaneous nephrolithotomy includes code 50081.

“I think the other thing that was surprising was that this allowed us to really pinpoint where we were dragging our feet,” says Randall A. Lee, MD.

There have been several recent regulatory updates related to cybersecurity in health care.