News

Obstetric Care Professionals Urge: The Time for Influenza Vaccination is Now

Flu season is here, and many parts of the country are already seeing unprecedented levels of influenza-like illness and confirmed influenza infection. That is why, collectively, the American Academy of Family Physicians; American College of Nurse-Midwives; American College of Obstetricians and... Continue Reading

Ultrasound Storage of Images and Documentation Within Reports

Coding Tip: Ultrasound Storage of Images and Documentation Within Reports Complete documentation of work performed is a central tenet of optimal care and communication between medical teams. The ultrasound report serves as an instrument of communication between providers and acts as... Continue Reading

Billing Scenarios for imaging and aneuploidy screening in the first trimester

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Coding Committee: Vanita Jain, MD; Amie Hollard, MD; Steve Rad MD; Trish Malisch, CCS-P, CPC; Fadi Bsat, MD. Testing for chromosome abnormalities should be an informed patient choice, based on information from a medical provider accounting for the... Continue Reading

Aneuploidy Screening in Twin Pregnancies

Brar B, Iriye B, and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Practice Management & Coding Committees The Problem Over the last four decades, twin pregnancies have increased from 18.9 per 1,000 births in 1980 to 32.6 per 1,000 births in 2018. (1) With this increase in incidence... Continue Reading

SMFM Joined 75+ Health Care Groups to Oppose Legislative Interference in Patient-Clinician Affairs

Washington, D.C.—The following is a statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, joined by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine; American Academy of Family Physicians; American Academy of Nursing; American Academy of... Continue Reading

Collaborative Care Model Associated with Fewer Racial Disparities in Mental Healthcare for Pregnancy

Washington, DC ― The collaborative care model, an evidence-based health intervention that is often used in primary care, has been shown to improve health outcomes for people with depression. It is a team-based approach where a physician collaborates with other professionals, including mental... Continue Reading

High-Quality Diet in Pregnancy is Associated with a Lower Risk of Fetal Growth Restriction

Washington, DC ― Research has shown that an unhealthy diet during pregnancy can have long-term effects on a child’s health. Now, in a new study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™, which is being held... Continue Reading

Chewing Sugar-Free Gum Reduced Preterm Births

Washington, DC ― Each year, an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely or preterm (defined as delivery before the 37th week of pregnancy), and this number is rising, according to the World Health Organization. Preterm babies are at greater risk of experiencing serious health... Continue Reading

Coding for the “new” First Trimester Detailed Diagnostic Obstetric Ultrasound

Vanita Jain MD & Fadi Bsat MD for the SMFM Coding Committee and the Division of Practice Management In 2020, the AIUM Practice Parameter for the Performance of Detailed Diagnostic Obstetric Ultrasound Examinations Between 12 weeks 0 days and 13 weeks 6 days was developed in collaboration with... Continue Reading

Updates to 2021 E/M Office Coding Guidelines

In July 2019, the American Medical Association (AMA) published the “CPT Evaluation and Management (E/M) Office or Other Outpatient (99202-99215) and Prolonged Services (99354, 99355, 99356, 99417) Code and Guideline Changes,” which were put into effect on January 1, 2021. These... Continue Reading

Utilizing E/M CPT Code 99211 when performing COVID testing

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Coding Committee; Vanita Jain, MD; Steve Rad, MD; Dave Smith, CPC, MBA; Trisha Malisch, CCS-P, CPC; Fadi Bsat, MD. The SMFM Coding Committee has previously provided guidance regarding E/M encounters in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic... Continue Reading

Updated Interim ICD-10-CM Coding Guidance: Recommended Coding for COVID-19 and pregnancy

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Coding Committee; Steve Rad, MD; Trisha Malisch, CCS-P, CPC, Vanita Jain, MD The SMFM Coding Committee previously published interim coding guidance for encounters related to the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for maternal-fetal medicine... Continue Reading