A recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General shines a light on significant billing issues for neurostimulator implantation surgeries. READ MORE
The CDC and CMS published a new Chronic Pain Experience Journey Map to highlight significant barriers to care for those experiencing chronic pain, as the CDC announces a new record for drug overdose deaths in the US in 2021. In this post, we explore how the two are connected. READ MORE
New Medicare local coverage determinations may hinder the ability to be paid for anesthesia services during Epidural Steroid Injections for pain management. The LCDs for several Medicare Administrative Contractors went into effect in late 2021, and others are being rolled out in 2022.
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The CDC is revising their controversial 2016 opioid prescribing guidelines. A draft version was released earlier this month, and public comments are being accepted through April 11, 2022. READ MORE
Reaching consensus on the key principles of treating perioperative pain was the goal of a recent pain summit hosted by the American Society of Anesthesiologists in February. The stakeholder group, representing 14 medical societies, discussed the fundamentals of acute surgical pain management from their various specialities. READ MORE
Cigna recently announced new medical coverage policies for the use of anesthesia services for interventional pain management procedures. READ MORE
So what exactly is the difference between moderate sedation and monitored anesthesia care? And when does monitored anesthesia care become general anesthesia? READ MORE
By Jan. 1, 2019, all Indiana healthcare providers who hold a controlled substance registration (CSR) must register with INSPECT, the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, and practitioners in hospital emergency departments and pain management clinics must begin querying INSPECT when prescribing opioids or benzodiazepines based on legislation passed during the 2018 General Assembly. READ MORE
New and revised Joint Commission pain assessment and management standards will be effective January 1, 2019, for accredited ambulatory care facilities, critical access hospitals, and office-based surgery practices. READ MORE
Four familiar epidural injection codes have been removed from the 2017 CPT* code set to reflect a change implemented in the final rule of the 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Codes 62310, 62311, 62318, and 62319 have been removed, and in their place, eight new codes to reflect whether the injection was done with or without imaging guidance. READ MORE
