Urology Coding and Reimbursement Podcast

Mark Painter, Scott Painter and Dr. Ray Painter

The Urology Coding and Reimbursement Podcast is for Urologists and urology practice staff: Administrators, APPs, Billers and Coders. We help urologists and staff achieve peak economic and practice efficiency so there is time and energy to focus on patient care and a happy life. Your cohosts, Mark, Scott and Dr. Ray Painter discuss urology coding and share best practices for the urology office. We will answer submitted urology coding questions so that you can learn the concepts and apply in your practice. Learn the best practices: urology coding, revenue cycle management, scheduling, collections, patient information collection, pre-authorization, prior approval, charge capture, office communications, claim entry review, appeals, audits and billing, that we have tested and proven so you can adapt and incorporate.

  1. 2 days ago

    UCR 303: Downcoding Is Surging — Is the Appeal Worth the Effort?

    September 4, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, Dr. Ray Painter, and special guest Marinne DeSciose take a deeper look at the sharp increase in payer downcoding and the growing workload it creates for urology practices. They discuss how downcoded E/M claims can quietly reduce revenue, why these adjustments may not show up clearly in traditional AR reports, and how practices can build workflows to identify, review, and appeal them efficiently. The team also explores when the return on investment justifies the additional staff time, how provider documentation and audit performance should influence the appeal process, and why practices need ongoing monitoring even after a payer appears to stop downcoding. The key takeaway: downcoding is becoming a significant revenue-cycle issue, and practices need a deliberate strategy to decide when to fight, when to change workflows, and when a payer relationship may no longer be worth the effort.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  2. 28 Aug

    UCR 302: Telehealth in 2026 — Current Rules, 2027 Proposals, and the Future of Urology Care

    August 28, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, and Dr. Ray Painter review where telehealth stands today and why it is becoming an essential part of the future of urology care. They discuss Medicare’s current rules for audio-visual and audio-only visits through 2027, documentation requirements, place-of-service rules, telehealth for hospitalized patients, and the importance of state licensure. The team also looks ahead to Medicare’s proposed 2027 group medical visit model and explores how telehealth can improve access, increase efficiency, support remote monitoring, and become a true line of business within a urology practice. The key takeaway: telehealth is no longer just a temporary convenience—it is becoming a foundational part of how practices will deliver care.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  3. 24 Aug

    UCR 301: Bladder Tumor Coding — Size, Location, Diagnosis Selection, and Same-Day Instillations

    August 21, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, and Dr. Ray Painter revisit the coding and documentation requirements for cystoscopic bladder tumor treatment. They discuss why tumor size—not the size of the resection bed—drives code selection, how multiple tumors are handled, and why documenting the exact bladder location is increasingly important for diagnosis coding. The team also explains when to use malignant, uncertain, or unspecified neoplasm codes, why you should code based on what is known at the time of the procedure, and when a same-day bladder instillation may or may not be separately billable. The key takeaway: bladder tumor coding is highly detail-dependent, and accurate documentation of size, location, diagnosis, and any separately performed services is essential to support reimbursement  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  4. 7 Aug

    UCR 299: Listener Questions Answered — Billing for Radiological Services with Office Visits, Stone Diagnosis Coding, and Modifier 25 Denials

    August 7, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, and Dr. Ray Painter answer three reimbursement questions involving common—but increasingly scrutinized—coding situations. First, they discuss when a urologist can separately bill the professional component of a radiologic service such as retrograde urography on the same day as an E/M service, including the documentation requirements and potential conflict when radiology also bills for the interpretation. Next, they examine a ureteroscopy denial caused by an inconsistent diagnosis code and explain how to properly distinguish kidney and ureteral stones with and without hydronephrosis. Finally, they tackle another modifier 25 denial and explain why simply citing NCCI rules in an appeal may not be enough—the documentation must clearly demonstrate the significant, separately identifiable E/M service that supports the modifier.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  5. 31 Jul

    UCR 298: Listener Questions Answered — Floor Consults Leading to Surgery, Pelvic Lymphadenectomy Denials, and Bladder Stone Removal During Simple Prostatectomy

    July 31, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, and Dr. Ray Painter answer three detailed listener questions. First, they discuss whether an E/M service can be billed when a urologist evaluates a patient on the hospital floor and then decides to take the patient to the operating room for stone treatment or stent placement. Next, they examine payer denials involving laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and whether all listed lymph node groups must be removed to support code 55869. Finally, they explain how to report bladder stone removal performed through the same laparoscopic incision as a simple prostatectomy—and why the surgical approach may require an unlisted bladder procedure code.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  6. 24 Jul

    UCR 297: UTI PCR Coding Changes, Audit Risk, and the 2027 RVU Winners and Losers

    July 24, 2026 In this episode, Scott, Mark, and Dr. Ray Painter examine a major shift in Medicare’s approach to coding UTI PCR testing. The discussion explains why reimbursement may now depend on the number of testing kits, methodologies, or procedures used—not simply the number of organisms reported—and what practices should review with their laboratory partners. The team also addresses denials, RAC and UPIC audits, corrected claims, potential commercial payer takebacks, and the continuing uncertainty in MolDX states. They then review the proposed 2027 RVU changes affecting urology, including a significant increase for in-office bulking agent injections, potential reductions for urodynamics, and additional changes to prostate biopsy codes.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

  7. 18 Jul

    UCR 296: 2027 Medicare Proposed Rule – The Changes That Matter Most to Urology

    July 17, 2026 In this episode, Scott and Mark Painter provide their initial analysis of CMS's proposed 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and highlight the changes most likely to impact urology practices. The discussion covers the proposed conversion factor reduction, a significant new proposal to apply the multiple procedure payment reduction to E/M services billed with modifier 25, changes to G2211, updates to practice expense methodology, prostate biopsy coding revisions, telehealth proposals, and a substantial reimbursement increase for bulking agent injections. The team also shares practical insight into what these proposals could mean for physician compensation, practice operations, and future commercial payer policies. The key takeaway: while the rule is still only proposed, now is the time for urology practices to understand the changes, submit meaningful comments, and begin planning for what could be a very different reimbursement landscape in 2027.  PRS Coding and Reimbursement Hub Access the Hub Botox LCD Alert Download the Alert Free In-Office Prostate Biopsy Calculator (Suppoted by UC-Care) Download Now PRS Coding Courses For Urologist For APPs For Coders, Billers, and Admins   Join the Urology Pharma and Tech Pioneer Group Empowering urology practices to adopt new technology faster by providing clear reimbursement strategies—ensuring the practice gets paid and patients benefit sooner.          https://www.prsnetwork.com/joinuptp Click Here to Start Your Free Trial of AUACodingToday.com    The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook group. The Thriving Urology Practice Facebook Group link to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThrivingPractice/

About

The Urology Coding and Reimbursement Podcast is for Urologists and urology practice staff: Administrators, APPs, Billers and Coders. We help urologists and staff achieve peak economic and practice efficiency so there is time and energy to focus on patient care and a happy life. Your cohosts, Mark, Scott and Dr. Ray Painter discuss urology coding and share best practices for the urology office. We will answer submitted urology coding questions so that you can learn the concepts and apply in your practice. Learn the best practices: urology coding, revenue cycle management, scheduling, collections, patient information collection, pre-authorization, prior approval, charge capture, office communications, claim entry review, appeals, audits and billing, that we have tested and proven so you can adapt and incorporate.

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