Think You Understand the New Consult Rules? Find Out Fast
Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by Editor in Coder's Cranium
Test your 2010 consultation coding understanding with these questions.
Consultation coding has every practice on edge this year. Ensure that you’ve got a handle on this complicated coding and billing situation by trying your hand at this question.
Question: When a visit with a Medicare inpatient that would normally have been coded as a consultation does not meet the requirements of an initial inpatient hospital care code, what should you report?
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Answer: Check With Your MAC for Guidance
When your physician sees a Medicare inpatient and would have used an inpatient consultation code, this year you should report an initial hospital care code (99221- 99223). If the E/M service and documentation do not meet the requirements of an initial inpatient hospital care code, however, your coding will now depend on your Medicare Administrative Contractor’s (MAC) or carrier’s policy.
Problem: The lowest initial hospital care code (99221) requires a detailed history and detailed exam. When your physician’s documentation does not reach this level, there is a question as to what CPT codes you should use.
Option 1: Some MACs/carriers have stated that you should use the subsequent hospital care codes (99231-99233). “Our MAC (Highmark) has actually stated to not use 99499 (Unlisted evaluation and management service) for consultations and to use subsequent care codes,” says Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CENTC, CPC-H, CPCP, CPC-I, CHCC, president of CRN Healthcare Solutions, a coding and reimbursement consulting firm in Tinton Falls, N.J., and senior coder and auditor for The Coding Network. She adds that instructions about whether or not to use 99499 seem to be MAC-by-MAC specific right now.
Option 2: Other MACs, however, have instructed practices to use the “Not Otherwise Classified” (NOC) code 99499, says Quinten A. Buechner, MS, MDiv, CPC, ACSFP/ GI/PEDS, PCS, CCP,...
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