[Jim Noble]

Whatever the procedure is where they go inside your arteries in the groin area and check out your cardiovascular system.

Left heart catheterization.

Won't be routine anymore, in just a few years.

Do you all know that Medicare is disallowing consultations (one doctor seeing another doctor's patient) effective Friday, January 1, 2010? Billing codes for inpatient and outpatient consultation have been eliminated, last appeals denied - 25 hours left for consults on Medicare patients in the Eastern Time Zone, then - no more.

At first, they will allow the consultant to bill for "regular care", instead of "consultation". But, you bet your bottom dollar, within 6 months you will see articles about "surging fraud", where two or more doctors are billing "for the same service".

What we now think of as routine and normal will be far from it in just a few years - maybe it won't even take that long.

Good thing this happened to El Rushbo now.

[spectre]

Jim, from what I heard, Rush does not have nor does he want medical insurance and therefor pays his own fees. In this case, that's a good thing.

sw

[BuckyKat]

Do you all know that Medicare is disallowing consultations (one doctor seeing another doctor's patient) effective Friday, January 1, 2010? Billing codes for inpatient and outpatient consultation have been eliminated, last appeals denied - 25 hours left for consults on Medicare patients in the Eastern Time Zone, then - no more.

I checked this out as I found it hard to believe. They're doing away with consultation codes but not the actual service. They've determined that documentation and visits aren't any different than that of the primary doctor. The consulting docs will simply bill for an initial H&P or a hospital visit as opposed to a consultation initial or followup.