After years of delays, industry and legislative pushback, and millions spent on technology upgrades and education, ICD-10 is finally here. Even though the fundamental process of coding and billing claims has not changed, providers will still need to pay close attention to their processes to keep the revenue cycle going and reduce denials.
Heart disease is the most common cause of death for both men and women in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common type is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, angina, and arrhythmias, according to the CDC.
The 2016 OPPS proposed rule released July 2 is deceptively short, but packs a punch. CMS is proposing the most massive APC reconfiguration and consolidation of APC groups since the beginning of OPPS, says Jugna Shah, MPH, president and founder of Nimitt Consulting, based in Washington, D.C., and Spicer, Minnesota.
In an effort to accommodate the latest advances in technology and make the code set easier to modify for future technological changes, the AMA extensively overhauled codes for reporting drug testing in the 2015 CPT ® Manual.
The April quarterly I/OCE update from CMS did not defy convention?featuring the typically small number of updates following extensive changes in the previous quarter?but CMS did continue to clarify the logic for comprehensive APC (C-APC) payments.
CMS released updated I/OCE specifications in January with several changes that could require providers to examine claims submitted early in 2015 that include comprehensive APCs (C-APC) to ensure proper payment.
Each year, the AMA updates the Vaccines, Toxoids section of the Medicine chapter in the CPT ® Manual to add or revise descriptions of newly available products. In 2015, the AMA added two new product codes (90651, 90630) and revised four (90654, 90721, 90723, and 90734).
The January quarterly I/OCE update includes new modifiers, changes related to expanded packaging, and continued refinement of CMS' skin substitutes categories, but the biggest change for outpatient hospitals is the implementation of comprehensive APCs (C-APC).
As new and more effective treatment options are created and evaluated, AMA must update the CPT® Manual to add and revise codes that allow providers to accurately report the work they performed. The 2015 updates include more than 500 changes, including more than 250 new codes that impact nearly every section. In the 2015 CPT Manual, only the integumentary and respiratory system sections remain unchanged.
