The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) has partnered with KarenZupko and Associates (KZA), a consulting and education firm, to create vascular surgery coding resources for SVS members and their coding staff. The resources include on-demand courses for purchase and frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers.
The on-demand courses will be released each quarter, with the third and latest course released in June. The new course, entitled “Co-Surgeon and Assistant: What’s the Difference?”, helps staff understand the importance of the differentiation between co-surgeons and assistants when it comes to the important area of coding and reimbursement.
In the past, Medicare noted that this type of coding error has resulted in improper billing, leading to a report by the Office of Inspector General recommending payor scrutiny of their use.
Once completed, participants should be able to describe the difference between co-surgery and assistant surgery, list the key documentation necessities and understand the reimbursement differences of co-versus assistant surgeons. The course will provide a detailed explanation of payor rules and documentation imperatives, as well as clinical scenarios.
The two previous on-demand courses covered surgical modifiers in vascular surgery and nonphysician provider (NPP)/ advanced practice provider (APP) billing and coding for vascular surgeons. The remaining courses published later this year will cover the evaluation and management of clinical scenarios for vascular surgeons, and relative value unit compensation and contracting.
The courses provide American Academy of Professional Coders with continuing education credits.
New FAQs are being added to the SVS website on a monthly basis. They are sorted by category and aimed at answering questions and helping to avoid coding errors down the road. Categories range from aneurysms to venous disease and cover every vascular bed and area in between.
Each fall, the SVS hosts an in-person Coding and Reimbursement Workshop now open for registration. To access more information on this workshop and the other coding resources, visit vascular.org/CodingInquiries.
