January 11, 2023
8:00 - 9:00 pm Central Time

This 1-hour course explains the new 2023 CPT E/M guidelines for hospital, observation, consultation, and emergency department (ED) visits. This session adds to the building blocks of the 2021 revised guidelines for the elements of Medical Decision Making and Time as structured for E/M services within the hospital, other facility, or home setting. There will be “hands on” coding of an E/M note as well as a short time for Q&A.

 Learning Objectives

• Update your knowledge of the CPT 2023 E/M revised requirements for hospital, observation, consultation, and emergency department services
• Adapt the 2021 revised Time vs. MDM CPT concept in the hospital setting
• Apply E/M modifiers accurately

Agenda

• Time Criteria
• MDM Criteria – Key Definitions and Concepts for Other E/M Billing
  • Inpatient/Observation Changes
  • Consultation Changes
  • Emergency Department Changes
  • Nursing Facility Changes
  • Home/Residence Services
• Prolonged Care Services for Hospital/Observation
• Example Scenarios for E/M 2023 in the Hospital/Observation Setting

January 18, 2023
8:00 - 9:00 pm Central Time

This 1-hour course analyzes the revised E/M guidelines (from 2021) for office/outpatient visits and presents them in the distilled understandable format for which KZA is known. Building on what providers are currently doing, the restructured elements of Medical Decision Making and Time are broken down and explained. There will be “hands on” coding of an E/M note as well as a short time for Q&A.

 Learning Objectives

• Update your knowledge of the updated CPT E/M requirements for office/outpatient encounters
• Apply E/M modifier 25 accurately
• Describe when it is appropriate to report an E/M service in addition to a joint injection

 Agenda

• E/M Levels of Service: Office and Outpatient Setting (99202-99215)
  • Time Criteria
  • MDM Criteria – Key Definitions and 2021 Technical Corrections
  • Example Scenarios for Foot and Ankle using the revised E/M guidelines in the office
• E/M Modifier 25
  • Modifier 25 with E/M Services and Joint Injections
  • When shouldn’t E/M services and procedures be reported together?
  • Appeal strategies for E/M and Office Procedures

January 31, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 pm Central Time

This 1.5-hour course will invigorate you and your staff with positive and practical ideas and actions to enhance up-front collections and other must-have concepts. This session presents tools that are easily applied and designed to bring quick results.

 Learning Objectives

• Use revenue cycle reports as tools to understand gaps in both patient and payor payments.
• Recognize opportunities for up-front collection of deductibles/coinsurance.
• Develop strategies to employ efficient and effective operational processes to create a healthy bottom line.

 Agenda

• Key Financial Performance Indicators
• Best Billing Practices Assessments
• Crafting Financial Policies That Produce Results and Don't Put Patients Off
• Optimizing Technology in Your Business Office
• Why Financing Works for Patients with High Deductibles
• Exactly How to Ask for Prepayment for Services and Surgery

February 8, 2023
12:00 - 12:45 pm Central Time

This 45-minute course gives specific insight regarding the unique challenges of billing for advance practice providers (APP). KZA tackles this perplexing subject and makes it easy to understand so providers, coders, and billers can confidently and appropriately bill for services.

Learning Objectives

• Understand 3 different options for billing PA/NP services.
• Gain understanding of the financial impact and both office and hospital billing.
• Apply modifiers correctly for split/shared billing

 Agenda

• PA and NP Billing for Medicare
  • Define “incident to”, split/shared, and direct reporting
  • 2022 CMS changes for split/shared
  • Differentiate billing options for office and hospital places of service
  • Learn the new CMS modifier used for split/shared
• Examples of billing scenarios for PA/NP

February 15, 2023
12:00 - 1:00 pm Central Time

This 1-hour course gives extensive coverage of fracture care, related services, and in-office procedures specific to the foot and ankle. Along with case exercises to boost confidence in common foot and ankle scenarios, attendees will leave with an awareness of reimbursement methodologies and documentation tips for in-office procedures and radiology.

Learning Objectives

• Demonstrate global vs. itemized fracture care billing for foot and ankle.
• Identify how restorative care is defined and how it impacts fracture code selection.
• Apply surgical modifiers and documentation requirements needed for optimal reimbursement.

 Agenda

• Fracture Care
  • Itemized billing
  • Global fracture care billing
  • NCCI Edits for Fracture Care
• External Fixation
• Debridement and Wound Care for Fractures
• Hardware Removal
• Radiology
  • Does your radiology interpretation stand up to scrutiny?
  • Understand requirements for reporting a global x-ray service
• Example Case scenarios for Fracture Care

February 21, 2023
12:00 - 1:00 pm Central Time

This 1-hour course highlights the latest coding, billing, and reimbursement strategies for foot and ankle surgeries.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize nuances of bundling guidelines between GSD and CMS for common foot and ankle surgeries.
• Demonstrate foot and ankle surgical coding through practice exercises.

Agenda

• Arthrodesis
• Lisfranc Injuries
• Tendon and Ligament Procedures
  • GSD and NCCI Guidelines
  • Arthroscopies
• Excision of Bone Cysts
• Hallux valgus and related procedures
• Ostectomy and Osteotomy
• Examples of surgical scenarios

March 1, 2023
12:00 - 1:00 pm Central Time

During this 1-hour course KZA will give a detailed look into the concept of the surgical global period for a better understanding of how payors view surgical payments. Attendees with also learn to apply surgical modifiers to protect reimbursement and appropriately differentiate CPT rules from Medicare NCCI edits and guidelines.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the parameters of the surgical global period.
• Apply surgical modifiers and documentation requirements needed for optimal reimbursement
  

• The Surgical Global Period
  • What’s included?
  • What’s typical not included?
  • Where to find CPT vs. CMS guidance on the surgical global period?
• Surgical Modifier Definitions and When to Use
  • Modifier 22
  • Modifier 58 vs.78
  • Modifier 79
  • Modifier 52 vs. 53
• Key ICD 10 codes for Foot and Ankle
  • Diagnosis coding for common Foot & Ankle conditions
  • 2023 Updates for Foot & Ankle
    

A need for this educational activity has been determined based on previous course evaluations and the AOFAS educational curriculum. The content of this course was based on current issues and topics provided by AOFAS membership and leadership. For more information on the AOFAS CME mission, visit aofas.org/education.

AOFAS requires all instructors, planners, and other individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships or affiliations during the past 12 months with any commercial interest (any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing healthcare goods and services consumed by, or used on patients). All identified conflicts of interest must be resolved and the education content vetted by AOFAS for fair balance, scientific objectivity, and appropriateness. AOFAS also requires faculty to disclose when off-label/unapproved uses of a product are discussed in a CME activity. AOFAS attests that the persons responsible for the development of this educational activity did so independently and were not influenced by commercial supporters. All financial disclosures will be provided to meeting attendees in the final program materials.

The material presented in this continuing medical education activity has been made available by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) for educational purposes only. This material is not intended to represent the only, nor necessarily the best, methods or procedures appropriate for the medical situation discussed, but rather is intended to present an approach, view, statement, or opinion of the authors or presenters, which may be helpful or of interest to other practitioners. Methods, techniques, and procedures demonstrated and views and opinions expressed by speakers, presenters, and faculty are their own, and do not necessarily represent those of AOFAS, nor does presentation on the program represent or constitute endorsement or promotion by AOFAS. AOFAS expressly disclaims any warranties or guarantees, expressed or implied, and shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the material, methods, information, techniques, opinions, or procedures expressed, presented, or demonstrated.

FDA Statement
Some drugs or medical devices demonstrated at this meeting have not been cleared by the FDA or have been cleared by the FDA for specific purposes only. The FDA has stated that it is the responsibility of the physician to determine the FDA clearance status of each drug or medical devices he or she wishes to use in clinical practice. AOFAS policy provides that “off label” uses of a drug or medical device may be described in its CME activities so long as the “off label” use of the drug or medical device is also specifically disclosed (i.e., it must be disclosed that the FDA has not cleared the drug or device for the described purpose). Any drug or medical device is being used “off label” if the described use is not set forth on the products approval label.

Faculty/Planner Disclosure Declaration
As an Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) provider, AOFAS has the obligation to ensure the delivery of education that is balanced and free of commercial bias. To achieve this, it is the policy of the AOFAS that all CME-related board members, committee members (“planners”), faculty, and appropriate staff disclose in writing to the learners’ all financial relationships that you have had in the past 24 months with ineligible companies. An “ineligible company” are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

In addition to faculty members, commentators from the floor are charged with verbally disclosing any interests immediately prior to speaking. All disclosures are provided in this final program distributed at the meeting to all program participants.

In accordance with AOFAS policy:
Faculty participation in this educational activity will be predicated upon timely submission and review of AOFAS disclosure. An individual who refuses to disclose all financial relationships will be disqualified from being a planning committee member, a teacher, or an author of CME, and cannot have control of, or responsibility for, the development, management, presentation, or evaluation of the CME activity. Non-compliance will result in a faculty member being stricken from the program.

An indication of the participant’s disclosure appears after his or her name as well as the ineligible company that provided the support. AOFAS does not view the existence of these disclosed interests or commitments as necessarily implying bias or decreasing the value of the author’s participation in this activity. In addition to ensuring that presentations be free of bias, faculty members are required to ensure that all material presented and discussed will be based on best- available evidence.