Questions to ask your doctor if you suffer from back pain.

Written by Kim Standerline


Questions to ask your doctor (and why)

Q...What's causing my pain and why can't I have any further treatment...

Because chronic long term pain isn't normal there is nearly always a reason for it. Untilrepparttar reason is clearly identified, how can anyone say no further treatment is available? (Don't be fobbed off),

Q...How long shall I giverepparttar 113792 current treatment to work...

Some treatments may take days or weeks to obtainrepparttar 113793 full effect. Make sure before you leaverepparttar 113794 surgery you have established how long it will be before you can reasonably expect to obtain results.

Q..What other tests and investigations are available...

You don't want to endure unnecessary tests, but ensure you have had allrepparttar 113795 investigations etc that will benefit you.

Q...What other forms of treatment can I try...

Many people are kept onrepparttar 113796 same treatment for years even though it's obviously not working, or their drug therapy may be hopelessly wrong.

New ways of managing back pain are constantly being developed.

Take in leaflets and books etc you've been reading torepparttar 113797 surgery and ask your doctor aboutrepparttar 113798 possibility of being involved in any trials etc that may be available.(There may be justrepparttar 113799 right treatment for you).

CPT Codes; What are you Getting Billed for?

Written by Mike Nielsen


All of us visit some sort of medical office from time to time and some of us makerepparttar visit a routine. No matter how many times we go in for a checkup or treatment we usually end up paying a relatively inexpensive co-pay forrepparttar 113791 services rendered to us. So who makes uprepparttar 113792 difference and how do they pay it? Obviously,repparttar 113793 doctors and nurses that we visit are not making a living off of our co-pay; so how do they obtainrepparttar 113794 additional money from our heath care provider? In this article, I will tell yourepparttar 113795 basic information about CPT Codes and what they are used for.

CPT Code background

Before CPT Codes existed and when ICD-9-CM codes were just being developed, doctors had to write out in words what symptoms a patient had, whatrepparttar 113796 diagnosis most likely was, and what visits, services, and procedures they thought they should get paid for. Then in 1966 Current Procedural Terminology or CPT was designed byrepparttar 113797 American Medical Association to assist doctors in billing Medicare and health providers using codes. Doctors userepparttar 113798 CPT Codes to specify to health care providersrepparttar 113799 service rendered so that they can get paid. Currently with 8,568 codes and descriptors available withrepparttar 113800 CPT 2005 Codes, it is easy to see why these codes can sometimes drive doctors crazy with regard to knowing which ones to use and for what. However,repparttar 113801 general idea behindrepparttar 113802 codes was to help doctors and create a standard as to what Medicare and health providers will pay for.

Where do CPT Codes come from?

There is a panel of 17 members, calledrepparttar 113803 CPT Editorial Panel, who meet 4 times every year to consider proposals for changes torepparttar 113804 CPT Codes. The American Medical Association provides this staff which is responsible for editing, adding, and deleting CPT Codes. There is also a CPT Advisory Committee, made up of representative form over 90 medical societies and heath care organizations, which assistrepparttar 113805 Editorial Panel in its efforts to maintainrepparttar 113806 CPT Codes.

What arerepparttar 113807 CPT Code categories?



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