In this Spine Coding Source column, Teri Romano, RN, MBA, CPC, CMDP, and Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, CPC, CMDP, combine coding pearls with information related to billing and revenue collection. It is important for health care providers to be aware of coding changes and to differentiate whether they apply to government or private payers or both.

Medicare eliminated payment for consultations in 2010, which resulted in significant revenue losses for spine surgeons and all specialists. All office consultations for Medicare patients became a new or established patient, or an emergency department visit if the patient was seen in the emergency department, which is an outpatient facility.