2025 Karen Zupko & Associates (KZA) National Conference

Karen Zupko & Associates (KZA) National Conference is organized by Karen Zupko & Associates, Inc. (KZA) and will be held from Aug 21 - 22, 2025 at Loews Nashville Hotel at Vanderbilt Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.

Description:
Immerse yourself in the latest Orthopaedics, ENT, General Surgery, Spine Surgery updates, and best practices for 2025 compliance and accuracy at KZA’s National Coding & Reimbursement Conference.

Why Attend?

• Expert Insights: Learn from top-tier KZA consultants.
• Stay Ahead: Keep up with cutting-edge coding guidelines.
• Earn CEUs: Elevate your professional development.
• Interactive Fun: Dive into live Q&A and dynamic discussions.

Conference Highlights:

• Deep Dive Sessions: Essential E/M and surgical coding updates.
• Compliance Mastery: Maximize your reimbursement strategies.
• Networking Engage with others in your specialty to share valuable insights.

Orthopaedic Surgery:
1. Strengthening Your Evaluation and Management Coding for Orthopaedics 2025

Thursday, August 21st (1:00 pm – 5:00 pm)

Increase your proficiency in coding Orthopaedic Evaluation and Management (E/M) services and office procedures with our course, "Strengthening Your Evaluation and Management Coding for Orthopaedics 2025." This course is designed for professionals who want to gain a deep understanding of E/M coding and ensure compliance and accuracy with the latest guidelines and best practices.

Join us for this in-depth 4-hour course!

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Conquer the E/M guidelines for Office/Outpatient, Inpatient, Observation, Consultations, and Emergency Department services
• Clarify incident-to, direct billing, and split/shared reporting rules for PAs and NPs
• Contrast the different types of Radiology billing and documentation requirements
• Recognize when reporting an E/M modifier and office procedure is appropriate

2. Strengthening Your Surgical Coding Skills for Orthopaedics 2025

Friday, August 22nd (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

Dive into the intricacies of Orthopaedic surgical coding with industry experts, gain insights on the latest updates, and enhance your skills to ensure accurate and efficient coding practices.

Our comprehensive course, "Strengthening Your Surgical Coding for Orthopaedics 2025," is designed for professionals who aim to master the complexities of Orthopaedic surgical coding.

Join us for a day of learning, networking, and professional growth!

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Demonstrate an understanding of simple to complex surgical coding procedures
• Classify benign, malignant, and radical resection procedures in orthopaedic oncology, and understand their respective coding options
• Identify common complications associated with joint arthroplasty and their impact on coding
• Recognize the 2025 CPT changes and their applications
• Navigate and apply CPT, AAOS Global Service Data (GSD) and Medicare NCCI guidelines

Spine Surgery
Strengthening Your Surgical Coding Skills for Spine 2025

Thursday, August 21st (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

Join us for an immersive course tailored for spine surgeons (neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery), their coders, and billing professionals. This course delves deep into spine surgery coding, led by a distinguished spine coding expert with over 30 years of experience teaching for AANS, AAOS, and NASS. Discover everything you need to know—and uncover insights you didn't realize were crucial. Engage with real-life operative notes and case scenarios, providing hands-on coding experience. Gain invaluable documentation tips to enhance your proficiency in spine surgery coding.

• The course is designed for spine surgeons (neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery), their coders, and anyone involved in billing for spine surgical procedures
• Taught by a nationally recognized spine coding expert with over 30 years’ experience teaching for AANS, AAOS, and NASS
• Everything you wanted to know about spine surgery coding…and some things we bet you didn’t know you needed to know!
• Lots of real-life operative notes and case scenarios for hands-on coding by the attendees

Orthopaedic & Spine Surgery Coding in One Powerful Bundle

Combine Orthopaedic Surgical Coding and Spine Surgical Coding for a special price

Otolaryngology | ENT
Strengthening Your Evaluation and Management Coding for Otolaryngology 2025

Thursday, August 21st (8:00 am – 12:00 pm)

Evaluation and Management Services (E/M) are commonly reported in the office and hospital settings in Otolaryngology.  It is important to understand the guidelines, including when to use medical decision-making and when to report time. In addition, this workshop will cover E/M Modifiers, Advanced Practice Providers, and Telehealth. We will end the course with hands-on E/M coding cases. Join KZA to learn about the office services that impact every Otolaryngology provider.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Describe the new telehealth codes and guidelines in 2025
• Review the changes in telehealth for CMS
• Identify key requirements for “incident to”, direct, and shared/split billing non-physician practitioners (NPPs)
• Build upon previous knowledge of the E/M guidelines for Medical Decision Making and Time
• Review Medical-Decision Making (MDM) elements - Problems Addressed, Data, and Risk (aka Medical Decision-Making elements) and Time that apply in all settings
• Report on E/M services with modifier 25, compliantly

Strengthening Your Surgical Coding Skills for Otolaryngology 2025

Friday, August 22nd (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

It is more important than ever to keep current with an understanding of new and existing codes which depend on coding accuracy. The 2025 Otolaryngology surgical procedure coding course sifts through all that is important in Otolaryngology coding and packs it into an intensive, fast paced day. This year's agenda covers all you need to know to code and document accurately and efficiently in 2025 and beyond.

The course describes why documentation is as essential as the code selected, and how to capture all potential revenue by improving your notes. We'll show you the correct way to use surgical payment modifiers so that you optimize payment. You'll leave armed with ideas and techniques for setting up systems that reduce denials and increase successful appeals.

The course also provides in-depth and clinically relevant instruction on coding for Otology, Rhinology, Laryngology and facial plastics including repairs, ATTs and Flaps and Grafts.

Learn the latest coding, billing, and reimbursement strategies for allergy and immunology along with coding audiology services which are new topics this year.

This course is rich with real-life clinical scenarios and includes a comprehensive workbook that will become your first response coding resource.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Use surgery coding that meets CPT rules and government regulations for commonly performed procedures
• Integrate ENT subspecialty coding principles in otology/neurotology, rhinology, laryngology, facial plastics, and allergy and immunology services
• Correctly code common general surgical procedures
• Accurately apply modifiers when they are required and understand their impact on reimbursement

General Surgery
Strengthening Your Surgical Coding Skills for General Surgery 2025

Thursday, August 21st (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

An overwhelming increase in arbitrary denials, a decrease in payor reimbursement, pre-authorization nightmares, and more make it more important than ever to document and code as accurately as possible.  Staying up to date on the latest codes and reimbursement challenges is crucial.

KZA’s 2025 surgical coding course breaks down these critical issues and condenses them into a comprehensive day of training.

In this course, we will cover the most common practice issues, pre-authorization, wRVU issues, dealing with denials, and unlisted codes—all of which present daily practice challenges.

Most importantly, the course provides in-depth and clinically relevant instruction on coding for various procedures, including hernia repair, colorectal procedures, bariatric, damage control surgery, gallbladder, liver, endoscopy, breast surgery, intraabdominal tumors/HIPEC, selected surgical oncology procedures, endocrine surgery, and more!

With rich clinical scenarios and a comprehensive workbook, which will become your go-to resource for coding challenges, you’ll leave with the skills necessary for accurate and efficient coding and documentation in 2025 and beyond.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Describe the new 2025 CPT codes for general surgery
• Recognize the impact of modifiers on global periods and reimbursement
• Identify areas for improvement in surgical documentation
• Select correct codes for common general surgery procedures

Trauma & Critical Care
Strengthening Your Acute Trauma Surgery & Critical Care Coding 2025

Friday, August 22nd (8:00 am – 4:00 pm)

Trauma surgeons wear three hats: trauma surgeon, general surgeon, and critical care intensivist. Each of these complex roles requires not only an expansive clinical knowledge base but critical responsibilities in documentation and coding to ensure capture of every potential reimbursable dollar. Ensuring optimal reimbursement starts with excellent documentation which then supports coding and billing accuracy.

This intensive, fast-paced, full-day workshop is built to meet the extensive documentation, coding, and billing challenges of trauma surgeons, trauma APPs, and the entire trauma coding and billing team.

The course begins with a comprehensive deep dive into critical care coding, a top audit target in today’s payor environment. Learn what documentation works and what doesn’t work with real-life detailed examples. See what your alternatives are to critical care and how you can use these codes to your advantage (hint- prolonged services!)

Next, the course covers trauma procedures, both emergent and operative, comprehensively. Actual trauma operative notes are reviewed in detail, showing what can and cannot be billed in a clinical trauma scenario.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to…

• Accurately report the time requirements for critical care coding
• Document according to the guidelines for concurrent and shared critical care coding
• Document and Accurately code for common trauma procedures