Declining RVUs Will Hit Your Audiology Codes Hard
2010 will take a toll on your audiology pay as a double-dip elimination cuts your pay on 14 codes. They are: • 92557 -- Comprehensive audiometry threshold evaluation and speech recognition • 92567 -- Tympanometry (impedance testing) • 92568 -- Acoustic reflex testing, threshold • 92579 -- Visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) • 92601 -- Diagnostic analysis of cochlear implant, patient younger than 7 years of age; with programming • 92602 -- ... subsequent reprogramming • 92603 -- Diagnostic analysis of cochlear implant,age 7 years or older; with programming • 92604 -- ... subsequent reprogramming • 92620 -- Evaluation of central auditory function,with report; initial 60 minutes • 92621 -- ... each additional 15 minutes • 92625 -- Assessment of tinnitus (includes pitch, loudness matching, and masking) • 92626 -- Evaluation of auditory rehabilitation status; first hour • 92627 -- ...each additional 15 minutes (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) • 92640 -- Diagnostic analysis with programming of auditory brainstem implant, per hour. Cause: Consequently, "for all 15 codes, the associated audiologists' time was removed from the PE inputs for clinical labor," according to Patrick J Cafferty, MPAS, PA-C, American Academy of Audiologist Assistants CPT HCPAC co-chair, in "Non-Audiologist Services" at the CPT and RBRVS 2010 Annual Symposium in Chicago.
