With the economic downturn and ever-increasing costs for delivering quality health care, can EP services survive and be economically viable? The answer is a qualified "YES"! However, doing so means careful attention to many details and quite a bit of education.

In this brief blog, I will highlight the three most important tools to achieve this goal:

1.) A well-designed procedure report. Creating a template that contains all pertinent information related to the procedure reduces the chance of errors in coding and billing. Some of the important information that you should consider including is: the ICD-9 diagnosis code(s), a list of procedures performed with their respective CPT codes, a complete list of catheters, guides and sheaths used in the procedure and any other diagnostic tools, e.g. intracardiac echo.