Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/759093
48 CODING & BILLING Dr. Richard Wohns on the Impact of the New 10 ASC Payable Spine Codes By Megan Wood P ayers have posed as obstacles for spine in ambulatory surgery centers, but the recent additions and proposals of ASC payable codes for spine procedures should ease up some of the difficulties surgery centers face. CMS added 10 new ASC payable codes for 2017: 1. Autogra for spine surgery (20936) — (includes harvesting the gra); local (eg, ribs, spinous process or laminar fragments) obtained from the same incision (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 2. Autogra for spine surgery only (20937) — (includes harvesting the gra); morselized (through separate skin or fascial incision) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) 3. Autogra for spine surgery only (20938) — (includes harvesting the gra); structural biocortical or tricortical (through separate skin fas- cial incision) 4. Arthrodesis, anterior interbody (22552) — including disc space preparation, discectomy, osteophytectomy and decompression of spi- nal cord and/or nerve roots; cervical C2, each additional interspace (List separately in addition to code for separate procedure) 5. Posterior non-segmental instrumentation (22840) — (eg, Harrington rod technique, pedicle screw fixation across one interspace, atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation, sublaminar wiring at C1, facet screw fixa- tion) 6. Posterior non-segmental instrumentation (22842) — (eg, Har- rington rod technique, pedicle fixation across one interspace, atlanto- axial transarticular screw fixation, subliminar wiring at C1, facet screw fixation) 7. Insert spinal fixation device (22845) 8. Insertion of interbody biomechanical device(s) (22853) 9. Insertion of intervertebral biomechanical device(s) (22854) 10. Insertion of intervertebral biomechanical device(s) (22859) Richard Wohns, MD, JD, MBA, of Puyallup, Wash.-based NeoSpine, offers his take on the surge of spine into the outpatient setting. "[ere will be] increased opportunity for more surgeries to be per- formed in an outpatient center rather than in a hospital, for appropri- ate Medicare cases," Dr. Wohns says. He has already seen the impact of the ASC payable spine codes added in 2015: 1. [Neck spine fuse & remov bel c2 (22551)] 2. Neck spine fusion (22554) 3. Lumbar spine fusion (22612) 4. Neck spine disc surgery (63020) 5. Low back disc surgery (63030) 6. Laminectomy single lumbar (63042) 7. Removal of spinal lamina (63045) 8. Removal of spinal lamina (63047) 9. Decompression spinal cord (63056) Since the addition of these payable codes, NeoSpine has experienced a 12 percent increase in its outpatient spine surgery volume, tied to Medicare patients possessing the option of undergoing outpatient spine surgery in ASCs. "More and more spine procedures are being performed outpatient and more and more spine procedures should be performed outpatient," he says. Patients undergoing outpatient spine surgery experience higher satisfaction rates and enhanced outcomes, he adds. "And there is lower cost related to outpatient spine surgeries compared to inpatient procedures," says Dr. Wohns. Due to implant cost markups and operating room time in hospitals, ASCs can see a 60 percent cost savings over a hospital when performing the same spine surgery, according to the Society for Ambulatory Spine Surgery. As healthcare dives deeper into a value-based world, outpatient spine surgery will likely continue gaining traction with the motto of higher quality and lower costs. n Ransomware Attacks Up 300% This Year — 4 Key Notes By Mary Rechtoris I n 2016, ransomware has increased across nearly every industry, with healthcare experiencing a 3.5 percent increase from last year, according to Forbes. Here are four key notes: 1. Ransomware attacks have increased 300 percent since last year. 2. Compared to other industries, education has expe- rienced a significant increase in cyberattacks over last year, with a 13 percent uptick. 3. Other industries hit hard by cyberattacks include the government with a 5.9 percent increase, healthcare (3.5 percent), energy/utilities (3.4 percent), retail (3.2 per- cent) and finance (1.5 percent). 4. Healthcare has had a 1.05 percent increase in ransom- ware infections, compared to this time last year. Educa- tion had a 3 percent increase with finance only having a 0.85 percent increase in ransomware infections. n