This would help your organization join the fight against Hepatitis B (HBV) infection by understanding what conditions are necessary for coverage of HBV screening and how to properly code the Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) serologic test. Conditions for Coverage of HBsAg Serologic Testing: The patient’s primary care physician or practitioner, an eligible Medicare provider,…
Allergen Immunotherapy is defined as the repeated administration of specific allergens to patients with immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated conditions for the purpose of providing protection against the allergic symptoms and inflammatory reactions associated with natural exposure to these allergens. Other terms that have been used for allergen immunotherapy include hyposensitization, allergen specific desensitization, and the…
Effective with dates of service on or after November 29, 2011, Medicare covers IBT for obesity,defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kilograms per meter squared, for the prevention or early detection of illness or disability. IBT for obesity consists of the following: Screening for obesity in adults using measurement of BMI, which…
Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also referred to as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years. All individuals with a Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 for 3 months are classified as having chronic kidney disease, irrespective of the presence or absence of…
What is Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis usually known as hardening of the arteries, atherosclerosis refers to the conditions that result from the deposition of fatty deposits along the inner walls of arteries. These deposits, along with resulting inflammatory action by the immune system, lead to narrowing and eventual blockage of the affected artery. This blockage interrupts the…
What is Myocardial Ischemia? Cardiac dysfunction caused by an insufficient blood flow to the muscle tissues of the heart. The decreased blood flow may be due to narrowing of the coronary arteries (coronary arteriosclerosis), to obstruction by a thrombus (coronary thrombosis), or less commonly, to diffuse narrowing of arterioles and other small vessels within the…
What is Thrombosis? Thrombosis is the formation of a mass of aggregated blood factors (a thrombus, or blood clot); coagulation of the blood. Specifically, this refers to the formation of a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel. Etiology: 1. Endothelial Cell Damage: The intrinsic pathway is triggered when collagen is exposed to blood. Since endothelial…
What is Hypertension and what are its types? Hypertension is a Systolic blood pressure greater than 140mm Hg and a diastolic Pressure greater than 90mm Hg over a sustained period, based on the average of two or more blood pressure measurements taken in two or more contacts with the health care provider after an initial…
What is Embolism? Embolism occurs when an object (the embolus, pulmonary emboli) migrates from one part of the body through circulation and causes a blockage of a blood vessel in another part of the body. Etiology: Ø Most embolisms happen to people who have risk factors for blood clot formation, like smoking, high blood pressure,…
IntroductionThe ulnar nerve is derived from the C8 and T1 nerve roots. It is a terminal branch of the medial cord of the brachial plexus. In the midportion of the arm, it passes from the anterior to the posterior part of the arm, piercing the intermuscular septum approximately 10 cm above the medial epicondyle. The…