The American Medical Association (AMA) today published an update to the code set that includes new vaccine-specific codes to report immunizations for the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CPT Editorial Panel has approved a unique CPT code for each of two coronavirus vaccines as well as […]
Cold antibody hemolytic anemia is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by the premature destruction of red blood cells by autoantibodies at temperatures of approximately 0 to 10 degrees Celsius. Q: What is the difference between cold, hot, and mixed type autoimmune hemolytic anemia, as described by 2021 ICD-10-CM codes D59.11-D59.13? A: ICD-10-CM code category D59.- (acquired […]
The need to improve patient access to mental and behavioral health services is undeniable, and tools from the AMA and others are available to help primary care practices integrate these services into their workflow and ensure they are properly paid for these services. When North-western Medicine needed to provide greater access to behavioral health services […]
The ICD-10-PCS codes can be found in the XW0 Table for the drug infusions. There were new ICD-10-PCS codes implemented on Aug. 1, involving substances associated with the treatment of COVID-19. As we know, these codes are not to be assigned unless the substances were used to treat coronavirus. Here is some information regarding these […]
Labs soon will have to work harder to merit the maximum allowed Medicare payment for high-throughput tests used to detect SARS-CoV-2. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been paying labs $100 per test — up from $51 — since a public health emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 was declared on March 18, 2020. […]
For 2021, there are 490 new, 47 revised and 58 deleted ICD-10-CM codes. We will cover the ICD-10-CM guidelines in this article and the ICD-10-CM code changes next month. There are several important changes to the guidelines, including those relating to COVID-19 coding. The updates for these were a little late this year due to […]
CMS recently added 11 new services to the Medicare telehealth services list, qualifying the services for Medicare reimbursement through the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The new telehealth services cover some cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services, as well as certain neurostimulator analysis and programming services. The additions to the Medicare telehealth list were made in […]
Becker’s ASC Review compiled a timeline of significant medical coding updates that have been proposed or implemented so far this year: January CMS began paying for certain angioplasty and stenting procedures in ASCs on Jan. 1, under its 2020 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and ASC Payment System Final Rule. Here are the Current Procedural Terminology […]
Good news for physicians tired of counting bullet points to assign an evaluation and management (E/M) level for an outpatient office visit: Per new AMA guidelines, it’s going to be a whole lot simpler. As of January 1, 2021, physicians will select an E/M code based on total time spent on the date of […]
Facility-specific coding guidelines are key to code hospital visits and encounters consistently. Another role that facility-specific guidelines play is to capture all possible reimbursement that is due to an organization. Every Oct. 1, the MS-DRGs and ICD-10-CM/PCS are updated. In addition to the MS-DRGs, the New Technology Add-On Payments (NTAPs) are updated as well. It […]