News and Information

PSA November 2009 Examiner

November 2009
This issue of the PSA Examiner discusses the new Business Alliance with AlliedPath, expanding laboratory capabilities with Cerner Gajema, the proposed reduction in the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and much more.

New Business Alliance with AlliedPath, Inc.

October 2009
AlliedPath, Inc. is a privately owned esoteric cancer-focused molecular diagnostics testing laboratory which offers a menu of genomic-based, molecular tests on solid tumors. AlliedPath offers a partnership approach with pathology groups to expand their capabilities and enhance service levels to their referring physicians.

PSA Alert: Red Flag Rules Delayed Again

October 2009
The Federal Trade Commission has once again delayed the enforcement of the "Red Flags" Rule until June 1, 2010. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3763 which would exempt certain businesses with less than 20 employees from having to comply with the "Red Flags Rule." On October 20 the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. At this time, this bill has not been passed into law, and pathology practices are still expected to comply with the Red Flags Rule before the current enforcement date.

Proposed Reduction in 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

August 2009
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently announced proposed changes for the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) which will result in a 21.5% reduction in the Medicare allowable amounts beginning January 1, 2010.

PSA August 2009 Examiner

August 2009
This issue of the PSA Examiner covers the delay in the FTC "Red Flags" Rule, the Cerner CoPathPlus Advanced Barcoding & Tracking system, as well as a press release on one of PSA's newest affiliated hospitals, Rex Healthcare Laboratories and much more. Click the link above to download the full newsletter.

Rex Healthcare Laboratory Selects PSA as Their Billing Service Provider

August 2009
Rex Healthcare Laboratory is a full-service, comprehensive clinical laboratory located within Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC. The Rex Healthcare Laboratory services Rex Healthcare facilities and local physician offices, as well as other clients in Raleigh and the surrounding areas. “We selected PSA for their billing expertise and their marketing services to help enhance our outreach business."

PSA Alert: FTC "Red Flags" Rule Delayed

July 2009
Enforcement Delayed United November 1, 2009: The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") has announced that enforcement of the Red Flags Rule will be delayed until November 1, 2009 for some entities, such as health care providers and small businesses.

PSA June 2009 Examiner

June 2009
This issue of the PSA Examiner covers hot topics such as Preferred Pricing for the Ventana VANTAGE System and most recent PSA Alert on the Medicare Scam. Click the link above to download the full newsletter.

PSA Alert: Medicare Scam

June 2009
On June 19, 2009 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) became aware of a Medicare Scam where imposters are sending faxes to physician offices posing as the Medicare carrier or Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). The fax instructs physician staff to respond to a questionnaire to supply updated account information within 48 hours in order to prevent a gap in Medicare payments.

PSA Summer 2009 Examiner

May 2009
This issue of the PSA Examiner covers hot topics such as FTC "Red Flags" Rule Compliance and Healthcare Drivers for Change. Click the link above to download the newsletter.

PSA Alert: FTC "Red Flags" Rule Compliance

April 2009
The Federal Trade Commission has announced that the enforcement of the new “Red Flags Rule” will be delayed until August 1, 2009, to give creditors and financial institutions, who have low risk of identity theft, more time to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs.

PSA Spring 2009 Examiner

March 2009
This issue of the PSA Examiner covers hot topics such as Saving the Environment and Decreasing Days in A/R, PQRI FAQ, Microsatellite Instability: Opportunity for Pathology in Personalized Medicine, CMS Continues to Tinker with Anti-Markup Rule and much more. Click the link above to download the newsletter.

New CPT II Coding for PQRI Reporting

January 2009
In an effort to eliminate confusion when reporting on Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) pathology measures, the CPT Editorial Panel has created a new CPT Category II code used to report tissues other than breast and colon. Code 3250F (Specimen site other than anatomic location of primary tumor) will now be reported when tissue other than primary breast or colon tissue meets reporting standards.

New HCPCS: Prostate Saturation Biopsies

January 2009
The 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule published by CMS last month included the addition of four new HCPCS (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System) codes used to report the surgical pathology examination of prostate saturation biopsies. It is important to note that these new codes apply to a relatively new technique that is not widely used.

Staying in the Game: Operating Your Practice as a Healthcare Business

December 2008
The healthcare industry continues to be faced with many challenges and economic pressures which require pathology practices to become more business–oriented, and often time have led them to seek the advice of experts in practice management and healthcare informatics to face these challenges and convert them into opportunities, where possible.

'09 Fee Schedule has Positive Impact on Pathology

November 2008
On Thursday, October 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2009 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule which included a 1.1% increase in the Conversion Factor that was mandated by Congress in July. The 1.1% increase to the Conversion Factor combined with the change in the way the budget neutrality adjustment is applied this year (spreading it across all procedures instead of applying it only to professional component, as they have the last two years) appears to have resulted in some fairly significant increases for BOTH the independent labs billing Global and TC-only services as well as the physician practices billing PC-only.

PSA Welcomes Back Jack Humphrey

October 2008
PSA would like to welcome back Jack H. Humphrey (MSHA FACMPE) to the PSA team. As a previous PSA employee, Jack held the position of Compliance Officer, but ultimately made the decision 4 ½ years ago to move to Florida to be with his family. Now returning to PSA, Jack will be contributing to the growth of PSA by using his consulting experience as a key resource in both sales and business development.

CAP Selects PSA to Offer New Discounted Pathology Coding Service

August 2008
August 12, 2008 - Florence, SC – Pathology Service Associates, LLC (PSA), a MED3OOO company with a nationwide network affiliation providing business services and support to independent pathology practices, has entered into an Agreement with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to offer PSA’s PathLab Coding Solutions to CAP members at a discounted rate. PSA’s Pathology Coding Assistance will provide timely responses to pathology-related CPT coding inquiries.

Independent Labs Excluded from Participating in PQRI

August 2008
PSA received numerous calls from clients and industry contacts regarding this issue and therefore held a conference call on Thursday, August 7 to provide further details. Listed is a brief summary of some of the key points discussed during the call.

Congress Confirms Medicare Legislation

July 2008
June 16, 2008 - The Senate voted 70 to 26 to override the president's veto of the Medicare Improvement Act for Patients and Providers, following a successful override vote of the House earlier that day... 

MED3OOO and Mitsui & Co. Complete U.S. and Global Healthcare Partnership Agreement

June 2008
(PITTSBURGH) MED3OOO Group, Inc. (MED3OOO), a national leader in healthcare management and technology products and services for providers and employers, has entered into a partnership arrangement with Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui)...

THE DARK REPORT: NPI Rules Slow Payments to Pathology Groups, Labs

June 2008
New rules requiring use of National Provider Identification (NPI) numbers took effect on May 23. Since then, Medicare Carriers and Payers nationwide have rejected claims from pathologists and other providers that do not comply with the new NPI rules. A missing NPI on just one claim will result in the front-end rejection of the entire submission file to Medicare. Cash flow to some pathology groups and other physicians has dropped. It may be another month or more before normal cash flow is restored. [PSA is quoted in this article]

ARUP Laboratories Partners with PSA, LLC

June 2008
ARUP Laboratories, a national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory and a leader in innovative laboratory research and development, announced today that it has entered into a business alliance with Pathology Service Associates, LLC (PSA), a nationwide network affiliation and a principal provider of business services and support to independent pathologist practices...

NPI Results in Significant Fluctuations in Cash Flow

May 2008
On May 21, 2008 the Healthcare Billing Managers Association (HBMA) delivered a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary addressing concerns regarding NPI implementation timeline. In the letter, HBMA expressed its concern regarding the ability of clearinghouses and commercial insurance payors to meet the May 23rd deadline and suggested extending the timeframe...

NPI and Electronic Claims: An Update on Unprepared Carriers

April 2008
According to CMS's published NPI timeline, effective May 23, 2008, they will accept only the NPI on all HIPAA electronic claims and send only the NPI on all paper remittances. This applies to both rendering and referring providers identified on the claims...

Pathology Consultants, Inc. Selects PSA, LLC a MED3OOO Company as their Business Partner

April 2008

(PITTSBURGH) MED3OOO Group, Inc. (MED3OOO), a national healthcare management and technology company, announces Pathology Consultants, Inc. of Michigan City, IN, recently selected PSA, LLC - a wholly-owned subsidiary of MED3OOO, for billing, marketing, and business support services...

CMS Approves Updated Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) for Use

April 2008
CMS recently approved the CMS-R-131 Advanced Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage as the replacement notifier for the general ABN (CMS-R-131-G) and laboratory ABN (CMS-R-131-L) as of March 3, 2008. Medicare has allowed a six-month transition period and all users are required to implement the new form by September 1, 2008. The new form is very similar to the ABN-L, but providers should be aware of a few changes...

PSA Spring 2008 Examiner (PDF)

March 2008
This issue of the PSA Examiner covers hot topics such as Dissecting PQRI, Congress Delaying Fee Schedule Cuts 6 Months - or Not?, TC Grandfather Provision Extended Through June 30, information on PSA's upcoming Pathology Business Confernece and Business Development Workshop, and much more. Click the link above to download the newsletter.

PSA is pleased to announce special pricing for Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. SYMPHONY® - One Touch H&E

December 2007
Eliminate dip-and-dunk H&E inefficiencies with SYMPHONY One Touch H&E. The SYMPHONY system completely automates every step of slide preparation with one touch operation from drying through the application of a glass coverslip. Slides are cured and immediately available for Pathologist interpretation upon completion...

2008 Medicare Physician Quality Reporting Initiative

December 2007
We are writing to confirm your intention on whether or not your practice plans to participate in Medicare’s 2008 Pathology Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). Bulleted below are aspects of the PQRI which may assist in your decision making...

Cleared the House: Extension for 2008 MFS and Grandfather

December 2007
PSA has learned that Senate Bill S.2499, the "Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007", which was passed by unanimous consent in the Senate on Tuesday, also cleared the House yesterday by a vote of 411 to 3...

MED3OOO Connection Newsletter, Fall 2007

December 2007
Similar to PSA, MED3OOO distributes newsletters and email notifications containing general healthcare information as well as industry and company news. Attached please find the Fall 2007 Connection Newsletter, produced by MED3OOO, which includes articles published by PSA. This newsletter will be published quarterly and distributed electronically by PSA to each of our Affiliated Practices...

BCBS Settlement Instructions and Materials

September 2007
On April 27th of this year, representatives of physicians and state and local medical societies announced a settlement of the national class action lawsuit (known as Love, et al. v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Ass'n, et al.) involving the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and most Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans and their current and former subsidiaries (BCBS). This settlement is another in a long line of similar settlements with various HMO plans over the last 3 years (previous settlements have already been completed with Aetna, Cigna, Health Net, Humana, and WellPoint/Anthem). The deadline for submitting a claim under the BCBS settlement is Friday, October 19, 2007...

Costly Coding, Documentation Errors

August 2007
PSA Coding Specialist Chappy Manning's article, 'Costly Coding, Documentation Errors' was featured in the August Edition of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory magazine. For more information on costly coding and documentation errors, register for the upcoming PSA Audio Conference, 'Lost Dollars: Ten Most Costly Coding and Documentation Errors' to be presented by PSA's Certified Professional Coders...

MED3OOO Acquires Pathology Service Associates, LLC

July 2007
Pittsburgh, PA - MED3OOO, Inc., (MED3OOO) a national healthcare management and technology company, has acquired Pathology Service Associates, LLC (PSA). PSA, founded in 1995 by pathologists in South Carolina, is now the country’s largest provider specializing in pathology revenue cycle management (RCM) and practice management and marketing services. It currently services over 75 independent pathology practices in 27 states, representing approximately 400 pathologists. While pathology remains its primary focus, PSA has recently expanded its services to include radiology practices...

Uncertain Protection Under NPI Contingency Plan

May 2007
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently announced that it is implementing a contingency plan for covered entities (other than small health plans) who will not meet the May 23, 2007 deadline for compliance with the National Provider Identifier (NPI) regulations under HIPAA...