Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Steer clear of 80100, 80104 on Medicare claims.If your pain management specialist conducts urine drug screening (UDS) on Medicare patients, you've had some coding changes to put into place for 2011. Questions about correct reporting still abound, so our experts offer top tips to help you understand UDS procedures.Top tip: "Remember, don't confuse collecting a urine specimen with performing a UDS test," says Marvel Hammer, RN, CPC, CCS-P, PCS, ASC-PM, CHCO, owner of MJH Consulting in Denver, Co. Most offices will submit 99000 (Handling and/or conveyance of specimen for transfer from the physician's office to a laboratory) when simply collecting the urine specimen in a cup (though 99000 carries a B status indicator in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule which means the service is bundled or not payable by most insurers). Reporting a UDS test goes beyond 99000.Focus on Complexity With G CodesThe HCPCS G codes addressing urine drug screenings [...]