Code Encounters

On March 13^th American Medical Association (AMA) editorial panel published a special edition CPT Assistant Fact Sheet of which announced CPT code 87635 (infectious agent detection by nucleic acid [DNA or RNA]; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] [COVID-19], amplified probe technique) is now available for reporting the testing for COVID-19.

Make sure your staff knows about these. You may use the previous versions through the end of March, but you are required to use the new versions beginning April 1. 

“The age of volume-driven fee-for-service medicine is gradually giving way to value-based care.” This is what Kathy Whitmire had to say about transforming healthcare leadership in order to improve revenue cycles. 

Does reading the November 12, 2019 released calendar year 2020 Federal Register OPPS final rule somehow not make it to your list of “things to do”? If not, join the masses but you might have missed key information that will put your organization at a disadvantage or loss of revenue.

Reasons why most skilled nursing settings need coding assistance are abundantly clear. Even the most experienced MDS Coordinator or a staff member who has become coding certified in the last year may not understand the minutiae of the code and the magnitude of coding to reimbursement and survey outcomes. Here’s a short list of potential errors to consider: