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Testing Tribulations
When I was an internal medicine resident, one of my staff attending’s, Dr. Charles Reasner, used to ask, “What is the indication for ordering a TSH?” This is a test of thyroid function (thyroid...
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Medication Small Print
When I give a cortisone injection, I have to document it in our electronic medical records. I’ve always included the dose, how administered (intramuscular), and the lot number. This week my company...
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FMLA Paperwork
I’m often asked to fill out FMLA paperwork, formally known as Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition (Family and Medical Leave Act). This is either because my...
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Asinine Associations
As I previously wrote, when physicians place orders, they have to associate diagnoses. This is becoming even more painful as we move towards ICD-10, of which I’ll have more to say later. I’m sure this...
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Medicare Audits – Or How I Spent Part of Labor Day Weekend
Some weekends I go to my office to try and catch up on paperwork. This Labor Day weekend I had to ‘labor’ away part of it to satisfy a Medicare requirement. I received a fax from a medical supplier...
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An ICD-9 Story
Medical billing and epidemiology relies on a classification of diseases maintained by the World Health Organization. On the first of October, 2015, we will transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10, a major...
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Disabled Parking and Needless Paperwork
In Washington State, if you want a disabled parking permit you need your doctor to fill out a form. Effective 7/1/15, a new law also requires a written prescription to help combat forgery. Physicians...
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Gluteus Maximus
I ordered atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) for one of my patients with high cholesterol and Medicare Part D coverage. It was denied. We then appealed it (prior authorization). A fax from Maximus Federal...
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Trump the Bureaucracy
About 6 weeks ago I referred a patient of mine with a knee problem to an orthopedic surgeon in my group. He ended up seeing someone else in the same group about 3 1/2 weeks later, and the doctor...
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The Medical Paperwork Reduction Act
Painting in the Mauritshuis Museum Today, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, Congress passed the Medical Paperwork Reduction Act. It states that administrative requirements will be decreased to the...
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