Category 3 code changed: Know the revised CPT codes for the New Year.
The Current Procedural Terminology or CPT is a trademark of the American Medical Association (AMA). CPT is divided into three sets of codes. Category 3 is a temporary set of codes used for emerging technologies, services, procedures, and service paradigms in the coding and billing system.
The five character CPT codes are used by the medical professionals while reporting and documenting various medical, surgical, radiology, laboratory, and evaluation and management (E/M) service. The American Medical Association (AMA) has released 335 CPT Code Changes first time in between a current year in September of 2018. These mid-year releases will be effective from January of 2019 according to the Category III Code Semi-Annual Early Release Schedule.
In the 2018 CPT editorial panel meeting, significant CPT Code Changes have been made in the system. After reviewing, it has been noticed that the complete revision of the codes has been done keeping the latest technology in mind. The changes have a visible impact of the most recent advances in the surgical, diagnostic as well as medical services.
According to AMA President Barbara L. McAneny, M.D,
"The latest annual changes to the CPT code set reflect new technological and scientific advancements available to mainstream clinical practice and ensure the code set can fulfill its trusted role as the health system's common language for reporting contemporary medical procedures. That's why we believe CPT serves both as the language of medicine today and the code to its future."
Among the many changes made by AMA, here are few of the 335 code changes that you couldn’t afford to miss to precede your medical coding and billing practice in the next couple of years.
1. Evaluation and Management code changes
There are six new codes added and four old codes revised in the E/M CPT codes.
a) New codes 99451 and 99452 are introduced for consultative time basis in Medicare. These codes are added to report assessment and management services.
b) New CPT codes 99453 and 99454 are added to be reported for remote psychological monitoring services during a 30-day period.
c) Code 99457 is also a new code beneficial for efficient communication between the patient and the caregiver.
d) Various other codes 99091, 99446, 99447, 99448 and 99449 have been revised for the year 2019.
2. Integumentary System
a) In 2019, to report Fine Needle Aspiration, CPT has added a single code for reporting by instructing new notes by giving the definition of FNA too.
b) For each additional lesion, CPT code 10004 has been added and replaced the code 10022.
c) To report specific image guidance such as ultrasound, fluoroscopic guidance, CT and MRI, codes 10005-10012 have also been added.
d) For skin biopsy techniques, new codes 11102-11107 have been added to the integumentary system of 2019. Also, codes 11100 and 11101 have been deleted from a skin biopsy.
3. Imaging-Radiology
a) New CPT codes 76981-76983 have been added to report ultrasound elastography.
b) New codes from 77046-77049 are also a new addition to the CPT codes. These new codes are made to report breast MRI procedures with or without contrast material which can be unilateral and bilateral.
c) Codes 78270-78272 are designated to be deleted from the new 2019 codes.
4. Medicine section
a) CPT codes 96136-96139 have been added to the coding system to report psychological and neurological testing and scoring by physicians/technicians respectively.
b) For interpreting and reporting Electroretinography (ERG), Ophthalmology section ahs add two new codes 92273 and 92274. This is important to assess the function of the retina and optic nerve of the eye.
c) Codes 97151-97158 have been added in the new 2019 CPT codes to evaluate deficient adaptive behavior. These codes will help with the guidelines related to adaptive behavioral services.
5. Changes in the cardiovascular system
a) To report the insertion and removal of permanent leadless peacemaker, new codes have been addressed in the cardiovascular system.
b) CPT codes 33285 and 33286 have also been to report removal and insertion of subcutaneous cardio rhythm monitor.
c) To describe the procedure of aortic valve replacement, code 33440 has also been added to the system.
6. Other miscellaneous changes
a) To report open biopsy or excision of lymph nodes, CPT code 38531 has been introduced in the Hemic and Lymphatic system.
b) Code 66220 is designated to be deleted from the ocular eye section.
c) Two new codes, 50436 and 50437 have replaced the deleted 50395 to report the renal collecting system in an endourologic procedure.
d) Code 50395 is designated to be deleted in 2019 related to the introduction of the guide into the renal pelvis and/or ureter system.
These are few of the numerous CPT codes changes designated for 2019. These code changes are imperative for your medical coding and billing performance which will help you move your career forward with the changes in the codes.
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