New codes are effective Oct. 1, 2021. Highly anticipated, the fiscal year 2022 ICD-10-CM codes have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although still pending are the 2022 Official Coding and Reporting Guidelines which were not included in the package of new codes. We are still waiting for the release […]
The code 99417 is invalid for Medicare and MA reimbursement. When the CPT® Guidelines were updated for 2021, one of the options for leveling an office or other outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) service was to use time as the leveling agent. The time thresholds for each E&M office visit were also changed from “typical” […]
Part IV in this series discusses expanding HIM’s visibility and enhancing organizational processes via authorization denial management. In my prior article, I discussed the value of payer policy management, and mentioned that “no authorization” denials represent 10-15 percent of all denials. This focused denial category presents another opportunity for health information management (HIM) professionals. HIM […]
Retroactive code pricing updates may require claims lookback. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a retroactive update to the April Average Sales Price (ASP) pricing file for three Medicare Part B drugs. Also now available are the July ASP and Not Otherwise Classified (NOC) pricing files and the ASP NDC HCPCS […]
The final rule contains 78,220 code changes, up by 117 from FY 2021. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final ICD-10-PCS codes and guidelines for the 2022 fiscal year (FY). The files included in the release include the Addenda File, Code Tables and Index file, FY 2022 PCS Version Update […]
After three years of policy proposals, the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) panel responses, and substantial guidance from gastroenterology and other specialty societies, changes to the office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) codes became effective as of January 2021. Some aspects of these revisions took effect for telehealth services since spring 2020 for Medicare, […]
Insights from MGMA’s Medical Practice Excellence Pathways Conference. At MGMA’s Medical Practice Excellence Pathways Conference, Justin Chamblee, CPA and senior vice president of Coker Group, gave a presentation overviewing CMS’s 2021 Final Rule changes and exploring the impact these changes will have on wRVUs and physician compensation. According to the presentation, some key changes to […]
The CPT code is the fifth created for providers to document and bill for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, AMA announced. The American Medical Association (AMA) has created unique Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine and its administration. The vaccine from Novavax Inc. has yet to receive authorization for use in […]
Get answers to the top 10 questions about coding for office and other outpatient services in 2021. Ever since the release of the new 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) guidelines for office and other outpatient services, AAPC has been conducting numerous trainings through webinars, virtual workshops, conference sessions, online courses, and multiple articles in Healthcare […]
Our hospital has been denied CPT code 52601 because the operative report does not mention the word complete. Although the operative note described the procedure in detail and the pathology report showed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue, why do we need to state the word complete? What does it mean in the CPT description? CPT […]