The AMA announced that its CPT® editorial panel expedited approval of a unique CPT code to report laboratory testing services for COVID-19. The new code supports the urgent public health need for streamlined reporting of testing for the virus.
Adrienne Commeree, CPC, CPMA, CCS, CEMC, CPIP, details Chapter 5 of the ICD-10-CM manual which contains codes for mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, and says attention must be paid to coding guidelines and instructional notes when reviewing these codes for inpatient assignment.
Q: We are seeing an influx of possible COVID-19 patients at our facility. How can we prepare to query for COVID-19-related documentation and coding issues that are bound to come our way due to the newness of the diagnosis?
Yvette DeVay, MHA, CPC, CPMA, CIC, writes that because novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new disease, there is still much to learn about how the disease is spread and what severity of illness it causes. For these reasons and more, many inpatient coders are finding this virus hard to report. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS, says exciting changes to ICD-10-CM are published in an often-overlooked document called the Addenda. It lists additions, revisions, and deletions to the Alphabetical Index and Tabular List. This might seem mundane until you realize the changes’ potential effect on coding and CDI.
Providers need to clean up coding for electro-acupuncture devices, according to CMS. In Special Edition MLN Matters 20001, the agency noted that some providers are incorrectly coding these devices using HCPCS Level II code L8679 (implantable neurostimulator, pulse generator, any type).
When reporting CPT codes for spinal excisions and decompression procedures, coders must consider the approach used, spinal levels operated on, number of providers involved, and more. Note : To access this free article, make sure you first register here if you do not have a paid subscription.
Coders will find a wide range of CPT and HCPCS Level II codes that have been assigned medically unlikely edits (MUE) this year. Review new MUE values that went live January 1 for codes involving drug injections as well as E/M, radiology, and therapy services.
