The AMA and CMS recently released new procedure codes for both your inpatient and outpatient coding teams.
As revenue cycle leaders work hard to avoid denials, payers won’t be afraid to deny your claims for coding errors. Keeping your directors and managers up to date on coding changes is key for proper and timely reimbursement.
CMS recently announced that it will be implementing 34 new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes as part of a quarterly update to the code set. They will become effective April 1.
For example, new codes will be added for aortic occlusions, spinal destruction procedures, and bone marrow transfusions. Several codes will also be added for the administration of newly developed immunizations.
Around the same time, the AMA’s CPT editorial panel released 20 new CPT codes. These new codes, along with two revisions, are mainly for cardiovascular procedures. These CPT codes will take effect July 1 and will be published in the 2024 CPT Manual.
Most of the new CPT codes pertain to cardiovascular procedures, such as percutaneous transcatheter thermal ablation of nerves, implantation and removal of a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker, and implantation of a superior and inferior vena cava prosthetic valve.
Elizabeth Ward, the CFO for Tidelands Health, a South Carolina-based healthcare provider with over $300 million in total revenue—agrees on the importance of proper documentation capture in the revenue cycle.
“[Something that I’ve helped my teams understand is] the importance of documentation and how that documentation is translated into codes that allows us to be paid for our services and care,” Ward previously told HealthLeaders.
“If you're documenting and coding well, it not only helps to get paid for what you do, but it also helps in your quality scores, and how you're looked at as a physician by CMS and other payers,” she said.
Because coding occurs mid-cycle, it provides an opportunity to catch errors introduced earlier in the process, as well as preventing similar errors in the future.
Amanda Norris is the Director of Content for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
CMS announced that it will be implementing 34 new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes, effective April 1.
The AMA’s CPT editorial panel released 20 new CPT codes, effective July 1.
Keeping your teams updated on coding changes will provide an opportunity to prevent coding denials.