Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Results of the Survey on the New CPT Codes

 
 
101 responses
What is your profession?
Psychiatrist
8281%
Nurse Practioner
1111%
Physician's Assistant
22%
Prescribing Psychologist
00%
Other
66%
 
Are you ready to begin using the new CPT codes next week?
Yes
3838%
No
3232%
I'm not sure if I'm ready
2929%
I didn't know I had to change how I code.
22%
 
What have you done to learn the new codes?
Taken a real-life course
2929%
Taken the APA's online course
2525%
Read the E/M manual pertaining to psychiatry
5152%
Asked colleagues
5051%
Watched Dinah's YouTube tutorial series
2020%
Taken another (not APA) course
1313%
Nothing, I am not at all ready
99%
Other
1717%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
 
Has Updating to the New Codes Cost You Money?
No
4242%
$0 to $250
3131%
$250 to $500
1010%
$500 to $1000
00%
$1000 to $1500
00%
More than $1500
66%
I have not yet spent any money, but I intend to soon
1212%
 
Are you hopeful that the new coding will result in higher reimbursements to you or your patients?
Yes
2929%
No
3737%
I am uncertain
3535%
 
Do you see the changes to using the 99 series E/M codes as being positive for psychiatry?
Yes
2626%
No
3636%
I am uncertain
3939%
 
Are you concerned that the new requirements for documentation will be a burden?
Yes
8988%
No
1212%
 
Were you already using the 99 series E/M codes in your practice before these changes?
Yes
2222%
No
7978%
 
Are you confident you know how to use and document the new codes in a way that your bills will be accepted by insurers?
Yes
2828%
No
7372%
 
 
How do you feel about the APA's support of the new billing codes?
Good: It's about time -- psychiatrists should bill like other doctors
2020%
Good: I am hopeful this will help destigmatize psychiatry
2121%
Bad: I wish APA did not support these changes
1717%
I am ambivalent -- I see good and bad to the process
3434%
I have no feelings about this
88%
I am angry: this adds a large burden to my practice
3434%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
 
Do the new coding documentation requirements change how much you worry about having your charts audited by insurers?
Yes --I worry more
6564%
Yes: I am less worried then I was with the old ways of coding
22%
No: I wasn't worried before and I'm not worried now
3434%
 
What percentage of your patients do you also see for psychotherapy?
None, or less than 5%
2121%
5-25%
1010%
26-50%
1515%
51-75%
1818%
76-100%
3737%

2 comments:

Joel Hassman, MD said...

thanks for publishing the results.

Anonymous said...

Just got first billing and insurance is paying (co-pay included) $5 less than with the old CPT code. The rate never covered my overhead, but higher accepted rates for 90862 balanced things out. So I wait for how the 99 codes are handled, which may lead me to go to all self-pay...

Also finding it cognitively difficult to manage switching to "complexity" rather than time based valuing of work. It's hard for this middle aged dog to learn new tricks.