Archive for December 2020
How to Code Post-COVID 19 Recovery Programs
Of all the patients who have recovered from COVID-19, 5-15% suffer from lingering symptoms that persist weeks and even months after they test negative for COVID-19. To help these recovered patients deal with their lingering symptoms, some healthcare organizations have developed post COVID 19 recovery programs.
Read MoreThird Group of CPT COVID-19 Vaccine Coding Guidelines Released by AMA
The American Medical Association (AMA) released new codes for the anticipated COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca and University of Oxford (AMA, 2020). The codes will be available for use pending the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization for this vaccine.
Read MoreUpdated 2021 ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines Now Available
Updates to the ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS codes for January 1, 2021 include 27 new codes: 21 PCS and six CM codes. For the diagnosis codes, changes to the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines were released on December 16, 2020, to reflect these six new codes.
Read MoreCMS PEPPER Report to Include Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA)
The Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) is a quarterly electronic data report that contains a hospital’s claims data statistics for Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Groups (MS-DRGs) (PEPPER, 2020). CMS has approved the addition of a new target area to the quarterly PEPPER report related to inpatient total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (PEPPER, 2020).
Read More2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule Concludes Office/Outpatient E/M Code Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their Final Rule for the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule on December 1, 2020 (CMS, 2020). All eyes have been on the Final Rule for a finalization on the much-anticipated office/outpatient Evaluation and Management code updates.
Read More27 New ICD-10 Codes for COVID-19-Related Conditions, Approved Monoclonal Antibodies, & More Take Effect January 1, 2021
A total of 27 new codes for COVID-19 related conditions, circumstances, and treatment – including approved monoclonal antibodies – will be implemented on January 1, 2021. This includes six ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes and 21 ICD-10-PCS procedure codes.
Read MoreRelease of 2021 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) Final Rule Begins Elimination of IPO List
The Final Rule for Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS), which takes effect on January 1, 2021 was released on December 2 (CMS, 2020). The 2021 OPPS Final Rule includes updates to payment rates and changes to the APCs , including the addition of two new Comprehensive APCs (C-APCs).
Read MoreTelemedicine Services Are Here to Stay Thanks to COVID-19, Shows Telehealth Billing Statistics
The number of telehealth visits via real-time audio-video communication, as well as audio-only phone calls, skyrocketed in 2020, telehealth billing statistics show, due to the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 and stay-at-home orders nationwide. Nearly half (43.5%) of Medicare primary visits were done via telehealth in April, compared to just 0.1% in February prior to the public health emergency (ASPE-HHS, 2020).
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