CMT Coding Expectations To set the stage for Chiropractic Manipulative Treatment (CMT) coding, we need to understand that these are procedurally encompassing codes for spinal and extraspinal areas for Chiropractors.  Waters get muddied when doctors do not fully understand the scope of these codes, and then bill additional services that may be bundled into the…

Chiropractic Manipulative Treatment (CMT) Codes Chiropractic manipulative treatment (CMT) is a form of manual manipulation (adjustment) used to improve joint and neurophysiological function. It can be accomplished by a variety of techniques. The Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) selects the CMT code that best describes the manipulative treatment administered to the patient on the date of…

Reference Document Doctors sometimes claim they “did not know” they were supposed to, or not supposed to, do X or Y, and did not know they breached an ethical rule.  Will this fall on a judge’s deaf ears? This reference document is from the very well recognized AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association).  It contains…

 Support Tools Patients may want services or products you offer that are not covered by their insurance.  Some of these may be deemed experimental or unproven, according to various 3rd party payors or Examining Boards. The service or product may be the very reason the patient booked an appointment in the first place.  To prevent…

Obtaining Patient Acknowledgment  Some carriers (with whom the doctor may or may not participate) may not allow a particular service or product the patient needs, or their fee schedule assigned to the service or product may be far below the doctor’s costs. Depending on the doctor’s contract with the carrier, the patient may be able…

OIG Oversight & Enforcement When it comes to oversight of coding and documentation compliance on the Federal level, the top of the totem pole is the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) . The mission of the OIG is to protect the integrity of the HHS programs…