RE: Decals/charging

<< Previous Message | Next Message >>
From:"Weems, Joyce" <JWEEMS@sjha.org>
To:'Don Hammer' <donh7@earthlink.net>, Pam Marcum <pmarcum@polysciences.com>, Barbara Davies <Barbara_Davies@memhospcs.org>, Patricia Karlisch <PKARLISCH@PSGHS.EDU>
Reply-To:
Content-Type:text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Will you just hush about being retired and help us poor working souls out?
You're the only one with time to work on these things!! We need you to go to
Congress and set things straight!!! (But glad you're happy!!)  j:>)
Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Don Hammer [SMTP:donh7@earthlink.net]
	Sent:	Saturday, February 12, 2000 1:13 AM
	To:	Pam Marcum; Barbara Davies; Patricia Karlisch
	Cc:	Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
	Subject:	Re: Decals/charging

	Pam,

	I believe it was Harvard that designed the CPT codes and didn't take
all the
	real world situations into their thought process.  It seems obvious
by the
	way they are set up that Pathologists designed them and did not
always take
	the Hospital component into their thought process.  ( I could give
you
	examples, but it's up to you still in the profession to work it out)
Now we
	have Medicare and the Insurance companies attaching dollar amounts
to them
	with not much more knowledge of what the real world is.  Then there
is the
	people working for Medicare and the Insurance companies trying to
interpret
	medicine with sometimes little knowledge of what they are trying to
	interpret.  A bad situation at best!  Who will attempt to straighten
all
	this out??  Not me, cause I'm,
	Don Hammer, Retired Guy  :)

	----- Original Message -----
	From: Pam Marcum <pmarcum@polysciences.com>
	To: Don Hammer <donh7@earthlink.net>; Barbara Davies
	<Barbara_Davies@memhospcs.org>; Patricia Karlisch
<PKARLISCH@PSGHS.EDU>
	Cc: <Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
	Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2000 6:28 AM
	Subject: RE: Decals/charging


	> CPT codes are based more often than not on Medicare charges
defined by the
	> Gov.  There does not have to be rhyme or reason.  Pam Marcum
	>
	> -----Original Message-----
	> From: Don Hammer [mailto:donh7@earthlink.net]
	> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 11:31 PM
	> To: Barbara Davies; Patricia Karlisch
	> Cc: Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
	> Subject: Re: Decals/charging
	>
	>
	> Barb and Histonetters:
	>
	> Agree here, just like special stains and Immunos.  Someone needs
to
	educate
	> the lawmakers.  :)
	>
	> Not me cause I'm......
	> Don Hammer, Retired Guy  :)
	>
	> ----- Original Message -----
	> From: Barbara Davies <Barbara_Davies@memhospcs.org>
	> To: Patricia Karlisch <PKARLISCH@PSGHS.EDU>
	> Cc: <Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
	> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2000 2:27 PM
	> Subject: Re: Decals/charging
	>
	>
	> > Barbara Davies/Histology/MEMHOSPCS
	> >
	> >
	> > Decal charge is charged per specimen.  The word 'specimen' is
the key
	> here.
	> > The CPT4 code book defines a specimen as "tissue or tissues that
is
	(are)
	> > submitted for individual and separate attention, requiring
individual
	> > examination and pathologic diagnosis."   For instance, if you
have a
	> femoral
	> > head cut it into 5 specimens and decal each, it should be
allowed only
	one
	> decal
	> > charge, However, if you have a fragment of femur, a fragment of
tibia, a
	> > fragment of knee  and decaled them all there could be 3 decal
charges.
	> >
	> > Barb Davies
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	> >
	>
	>
	>
	>
	



<< Previous Message | Next Message >>