Well Joyce, not much time to go to Congress......have to go to the gym for
the daily workout.
Altho Congress couldn't be much more intimidating that the trip to the ASCP
Board of Directors many years ago to get representation there. :)
Don Hammer, Retired Guy
----- Original 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>
Cc: <Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2000 12:23 PM
Subject: RE: Decals/charging


> 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
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>