Payers are reimbursing providers for all COVID-19-related testing and treatment they are furnishing to their insured members, but what if the patient is uninsured? Healthcare providers need not write off COVID-19 testing and treatment services rendered to uninsured patients. Compensation is available! The public health emergency for COVID-19 requires the healthcare industry to focus their […]
As is painfully obvious to even the most casual of observers, the COVID-19 public health emergency has been disruptive to all industries. And, the healthcare industry has been at the epicenter of this disruption. Nonetheless, not all disruption is negative. One bright spot for many healthcare practitioners during this public health crisis has been the […]
There are a slew of changes and only a few months before you will need to start using the new codes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released on July 1 the ICD-10-CM code descriptions, tables and index, and addendum for fiscal year 2021. There are 490 additions, 58 deletions, and 47 revisions — increasing […]
Just when you thought you had all the COVID-19 coding for laboratory testing figured out — hold the phone — there are three new CPT® codes. These newest codes are effective June 25, 2020. CPT® Code Long Descriptor 0223U Infectious disease (bacterial or viral respiratory tract infection), pathogen-specific nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), 22 targets […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided some guidance within the “Medicare and Medicaid Programs Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency” interim final rule (IFR), allowing for remote patient monitoring, or RPM. This type of patient care is very helpful for ongoing treatment during the COVID-19 […]
There are numerous coding options when it comes to reporting telehealth visits and others that are not the traditional face-to-face office visit. There are numerous options when it comes to reporting visits that are not the traditional face-to-face office visit. This varies somewhat by payer, of course. Medicare has temporarily relaxed some of the geographic […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) has released an update to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), introducing a new code for reporting antigen testing of patients suspected to be infected with COVID-19. Approved on June 25 during a meeting of the CPT Editorial Panel, this update signifies a milestone in expediting the review of proposed changes […]
Telemedicine reimbursement and other regulatory flexibilities enabled providers to quickly pivot operations for COVID-19, but temporary policies also poised the health policy landscape for significant change after the pandemic. In the wake of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US, policymakers quickly relaxed long-standing healthcare regulations, including telemedicine reimbursement and healthcare fraud prevention […]
The AMA’s new Category I CPT code will allow for COVID-19 coding and billing of antigen tests performed on patients suspected of being infected by the novel coronavirus. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently updated Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) to enable proper COVID-19 coding and billing of antigen tests performed on patients suspected of being infected with […]
At the onset of the pandemic, increasing use of three codes — 31500 for emergency intubations, 99291 for intensive care unit treatment and 99233 for complex hospital visits — reflected rising numbers of COVID-19 patients, according to Tony Mira, president and CEO of Anesthesia Business Consultants. ABC coding teams have captured a wide range of […]