More than 14 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, making treating Medicare patients who have diabetes a staple of most internal medicine practices.

This is the first of a two-part series on how internists should bill and code for those services. The information is based on Medicare regulations, but likely has broader applications because most health plans base their own billing and coding requirements on Medicare rules. Check with your local health plans to see if they follow Medicare requirements or have different ones of their own.

When treating patients with diabetes, you can bill for services including evaluation and management (E/M) services based on history, exam and medical decision-making, as well as for counseling and lab tests. (Billing and coding for counseling and for preventive E/M services will be covered in my column in the November ACP Observer.) Proper billing and coding will ensure that you get paid appropriately for your time and services -- and help you comply with evidence-based guidelines that payers commonly track.

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With the number of patients with diabetes on the rise, internists are placing a growing emphasis on preventive and counseling services for diabetic patients.

This is the second of a two-part series on how internists should bill and code for treating patients with diabetes, which already affects more than 14 million Americans.

This month's column will focus on counseling and preventive evaluation and management (E/M) services, while last month's column discussed billing and coding for E/M services based on history, exam and medical decision-making. (See "How should you bill and code for patients with diabetes?" in the October ACP Observer. Billing and coding tips for laboratory tests needed for diabetic patients are also online.

While this information is based on Medicare regulations, keep in mind that most health plans base their own billing and coding requirements on Medicare rules. Check with your local insurers to see if they follow Medicare requirements or have different ones of their own.

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