ICD-9 2011 and ICD-10 2011 both have coding options for a malignant neoplasm of the main bronchus. Both indicate that the codes are appropriate for malignant neoplasms of the carina or hilus of lung.
What’s different: ICD-9 2011 includes simply 162.2…
Think outside the box for iliac atherectomy.
Are you ready to apply CPT’s new revascularization codes starting January 1? Check out these six tips to get you on your way.
CPT 2011 offers up new codes to help you report services more accurately, including endovascular revascularization, says Marcella Bucknam, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, CPC-P, COBGC, CCC, manager of compliance education for the University of Washington Physicians Compliance Program in Seattle.
Specifically, CPT 2011 adds several new codes that represent lower extremity endovascular revascularization, meaning angioplasty, atherectomy, and stenting. Here’s how the codes break down:
In this article, iliac artery services are the focus. Look to future articles to discuss femoral, popliteal, and tibial/peroneal services.
Watch Procedure and Vessel to Choose Among 37220-+37223
The new iliac service codes are as follows:
Reading through the definitions, you see that the codes for iliac services differ based on whether you’re coding a service in an initial vessel or in an additional vessel. Your options also differ based on whether you’re reporting (1) angioplasty alone or…
Physician and facility coders alike will benefit from SuperCoder’s newest tool!
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How to count components for Boostrix, Pediarix – and other immunizations.
Excited by the new vaccine administration codes’ payment per component but not sure how many components specific vaccines have? This chart does the work for you.
Find the product name for a quick cross reference to how many components the vaccine includes and the administration with counseling code combination to report using the new pediatric/adolescent codes.
Note: The ICD-9 vaccine product code listed in the chart uses the generalized vaccine product code (V06.8, Need for prophylactic vaccination and inoculation against other combinations of diseases). For vaccine administration provided outside of a preventive medicine service, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using V06.8 for combination vaccines that do not have their own individual single ICD-9 code.
| Vaccine Product | Manufacturer | Components | CPT Product Code | Number of Components | CPT 2011 Administration with Counseling Code | ICD-9-CM 2011 Code |
| ActHIB | Sanofi Pasteur | Hib | 90648 | 1 | 90460 | V03.81 |
| Adacel | Sanofi Pasteur | Tdap (tetanus- diphtheria-acellular pertussis) | 90715 | 3 | 90460, +90461 x 2 | V06.1 |
| Boostrix | GlaxoSmithKline | Tdap | 90715 | 3 | 90460, +90461 x 2 | V06.1 |
| Cervarix | GlaxoSmithKline | HPV | 90650 | 1 | 90460 | V04.89 |
| Comvax | Merck | HepB-Hib | 90748 | 2 | 90460, +90461 | V06.8 |
| Daptacel |
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One element that physicians cheered in the new Medicare annual wellness exam has been eliminated and another that beneficiaries demanded will be delayed.
Bowing to Republican pressure, the White House agreed to cut the voluntary after care planning tha…
You won’t find D codes in the 2011 HCPCS Level II codes as you have in previous versions of some HCPCS Level II manuals and datasets. To avoid companies inadvertently including copyrighted dental codes as part of the royalty free HCPCS codeset,…
Question: Many of our ophthalmology patients claim general reasons for their visit, such as “I can’t see well,” or “My vision is foggy.” We code these visits with 368.8 as the primary diagnosis because this is the primary reason for the visit. Any other problems or underlying causes of the blurry vision we report as secondary diagnoses. Is 368.8 the most appropriate code to use in these situations, and should we list it first?
Answer: You should only report 368.8 (Other specified visual disturbances) as a primary diagnosis code when the ophthalmologist doesn’t find a more definitive diagnosis during the course of the visit.
Carriers often consider a visit for blurred vision the same thing as a routine exam— and Medicare will not pay for this service.
Primary vs. secondary: Whenever possible, you should list a more definitive diagnosis as primary and then the patient’s complaint of blurred vision as secondary. For example, if the ophthalmologist discovers that a cataract is causing the patient’s blurry vision, you would first list 366.12 (Incipient cataract) and then 368.8. You should always strive to report the most descriptive and accurate ICD-9 codes possible. If a patient claims her only reason for the visit is a routine exam, experts recommend that the ophthalmologist ask her a series of detailed questions to uncover any other complaints she may have but doesn’t think of right away. In obtaining a comprehensive history when a patient denies any blurriness of vision, the ophthalmologist should also ask, “Do your eyes chronically itch, burn, or water?” This may lead you to report dry eye syndrome (375.15, Tear film insufficiency, unspecified) or allergic conjunctivitis (372.14, Other chronic allergic conjunctivitis).
Do this: Rather than ask if a patient’s vision is blurry, ask if there is…
You report several EEG codes such as 95812 (Electroencephalogram [EEG] extended monitoring; 41-60 minutes) and 95813 (… greater than 1 hour) based on the amount of recording time. But what constitutes recording time?
Jeffrey Cozzens, MD, professor and chair of the neurosurgery division of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and a presenter at the AMA’s CPT and RBRVS 2011 Annual Symposium in Chicago, addressed the issue during his presentation about neurosurgery and neurology changes for 2011. Keep two things in mind when calculating recording time for these EEGs:
Other EEG codes, however, focus on the amount of physician time rather than recording time. Watch for that specificity in guidelines for 95961 (Functional cortical and subcortical mapping by stimulation and/or recording of electrodes or brain surface, or of depth electrodes, to provoke seizures or identify vital brain structures; initial hour of physician attendance) and +95962 (… each additional hour of physician attendance [List separately in addition to code for primary procedure). If the physician is in attendance for a total of 30 minutes or less, only report 95961 and append modifier 52 (Reduced services) to indicate he didn’t fulfill the full hour represented by the code.
Two codes for special EEG tests now specify who attends during the procedure:
According to information on the…
The recently released HCPCS 2011 code-set reveals a slew of deletions, streamlining your drug coding choices. Cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, and vincristine are among the affected drugs.
This change should simplify billing, particularly if the system your practice or facility uses, such as Pyxis or Lynx, limits you to a single code and billable unit for a drug, says Lisa S. Martin, CPC, CIMC, CPC-I, chargemaster specialist for OSF Healthcare System in Peoria, Ill. “As a consultant, I saw different facilities using only the 100 mg code [for example] for that very reason, so this change should facilitate more consistent and compliant billing practices.”
While these changes have a positive side, “there are always considerations that will arise,” Martin says. For example, if your practice uses different vial sizes, you will need to be alert for the different and specific national drug code (NDC) numbers for the agent dispensed to the patient when you send a claim to a payer who requires NDC information, she warns.
Cisplatin, ordered particularly for patients with metastatic testicular or ovarian neoplasms, or advanced bladder cancers, is one of the many agents affected by the HCPCS 2011 shake-up.
HCPCS 2011 makes a small wording revision to J9060, notes Roberta Buell, MBA, of onPoint Oncology in her Nov. 9 e-Reimbursement newsletter:
Delete code J9062 (Cisplatin, 50 mg). It will no longer be available for use in 2011. You should use J9060 to report cisplatin, brand name Platinol, when supplied for 2011 dates of service.
Cyclophosphamide is an alkalyting agent that works as an antineoplastic and immunosuppressant. You may see it called Cytoxan or Neosar.
At 1 unit per 100 mg, J9070 (Cyclophosphamide, 100 mg)…
Raise your glass to the new year without worries of 2011 medical code changes. SuperCoder’s got you covered with new CPT codes, CCI edits, and supply coding revisions.
Starting Dec. 31, SuperCoder.com will offer the complete codesets for CPT 2011…