Category: Medical Coding

ICD-10 Codes for COVID-19 Symptoms

Do ICD-10 Codes Accurately Reflect COVID-19 Symptoms?

Although the integration of big data into health care has been increasing in recent years, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought this practice to the forefront, as many hospitals and care facilities struggle to keep accurate and timely records of COVID-19 cases while adhering to changing procedures implemented at the federal level. “The use of […]
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E&M revised Codes

What to Expect with the 2021 E&M Revisions

  A work group put together by the American Medical Association (AMA) that also represents the AMA’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel and the AMA/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC) has put together revisions to office and outpatient evaluation management (E&M). These will take effect on January 1, 2021. So how will this affect dermatologists? Well, […]
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Patient Counseling

CMS Announces New Payment Allocation for COVID-19 Patient Counseling

  CMS will leverage existing evaluation and management (E&M) payment codes to reimburse eligible providers for the coronavirus counseling services.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will make payment available to physicians and providers for counseling patients at the time of COVID-19 testing about the importance of self-isolation after they are tested and prior to […]
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Artificial Intelligence in Medical Coding

Artificial Intelligence Meets Medical Coding

  Medical billing and coding is an integral component of healthcare. The medical coding outsourcing market alone is projected to reach16.9 billion dollars by 2021. However, coding accuracy is an ongoing challenge. To maximize efficiency and accuracy of the medical coding process, companies are testing the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. The current problem […]
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CPT Codes for Cardiovascular Services

Proposed Rule Introduces New CPT Codes For Cardiac Shunting, EKGS, And Lung Biopsies

Coders should also take note of the new HCPCS Level II codes CMS is considering. CMS released the calendar year (CY) 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) on August 3, introducing 39 new CPT codes, mainly for cardiovascular services. If finalized, the new codes will go into effect January 1, 2021. The proposed update includes five new codes for […]
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CPT Code for Coronavirus Testing

AMA Announces New CPT Codes for Coronavirus Testing

The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently expanded its Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set to include four additional codes for coronavirus testing. These new codes facilitate providers in reporting a wider range of laboratory tests for the novel coronavirus on medical claims. The newly introduced CPT codes are as follows: •86408: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody […]
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COVID-19 billing updates

CMS Pays for Coronavirus Counseling, Other COVID-19 Billing Updates

Provider reimbursement is now available to physicians who tell their patients to self-isolate at the time of COVID-19 testing, according to CMS. An announcement released late last week in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said CMS will leverage existing evaluation and management (E/M) payment codes to reimburse eligible providers for the coronavirus […]
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Pediatric Eye Conditions Coding

Focus on Coding 3 Common Pediatric Eye Conditions

ICD-10-CM coding is clear when you know what to look for. Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month is a good time to brush up on your coding for eye-related diagnoses pediatric providers see in their patients. We’ll get you started by reviewing three diagnoses your providers probably see most often during an eye and vision […]
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ICD-10-PCS Codes for Therapeutics

12 new ICD-10-PCS Codes to Identify Therapeutics

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented 12 new ICD-10-PCS codes to allow Medicare and other insurers to identify the use of the therapeutics Remdesivir and Convalescent plasma for treating hospital inpatients with coronavirus (COVID-19). The new codes, effective Aug. 1, are: ICD-10-PCS Code XW013F5 – Introduction of Other New Technology Therapeutic Substance […]
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AMA E&M Code Changes

2021 AMA E&M Changes: A Provocative Overview

  Many of us have been immersed in COVID-19 and telehealth billing, coding, and the varying rules among payors of late, all the while the clock has remained ticking on the looming changes to evaluation and management (E&M) services, effective Jan. 1, 2021. It is possible, too, that there are those who have not heard […]
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