Jim Collins, CCC, CPC, CHCC

Jim Collins, CCC, CPC, CHCC is the President of CardiologyCoder.Com, Inc.   He has been dedicated to physician practice compliance and revenue enhancement since 1993: as a nationally renowned consultant, as Compliance Analyst at The Care Group in Indianapolis, and as Compliance Officer of Mid Carolina Cardiology in Charlotte, NC.

Mr. Collins wrote the study guide and certification test for the American Academy of Professional Coders cardiology coding certification titled: Certified Cardiology Coder;he co-wrote the certification test for Decision Health’s cardiology coding certification titled: Advanced Coding Specialist in Cardiology, and he served as Consulting Editor of The Coding Institute’s Cardiology Coding Alert for ten years.

CardiologyCoder.Com, Inc. provides effective education for coders and physicians:

• Monthly newsletter
• Coder proficiency testing
• On-demand training
• Public teleconferences
• Personal web conferences

CardiologyCoder.Com, Inc. offers consulting services that enhance compliance and revenue:

• Chart audits
• Form development
• Electronic medical record optimization

CardiologyCoder.Com, Inc. also offers specialized billing functions for cardiologists and electrophysiologists:

• Charge capture process development
• PRN coding
• Insurance billing
• Patient billing
• Appeal of denied charges
• Responding to payer audits
• Service mix optimization

Physician Training:

The glut of documentation and coding regulations that apply to cardiology and electrophysiology services is impressive. Many physicians under-bill services to insulate themselves from regulatory exposure. However, under-billing can substantially reduce revenue, and it does not necessarily reduce audit exposure.

By educating cardiologists and electrophysiologists about the most critical rules that apply to their most common services CardiologyCoder.Com, Inc. enhances regulatory compliance and helps physicians secure accurate compensation for the services they are providing.

Office and Hospital Visits:

Evaluation and Management Visits (E&M) are the most likely services to be audited because they are reported more frequently than any other service. Historical government audits have also identified relatively low levels of physician compliance with the applicable documentation standards. As a result, these services are routinely targeted for audit.

Physician education on proper documentation and coding of Evaluation and Management Visits is a critical element of practice management.