Red Flag:
There's More to CPT 2009 Than New Codes
Published on Thu Jan 10, 2008
Make sure you know microbiology modifications that could save you $$$. Of course you need to know the new procedure codes you-ll use starting Jan. 1, but those aren't the only CPT 2009 changes that will affect your bottom line. In fact, some code modifications and text notes clarify when and how you should bill for multiple units of a service. That could stop you from losing pay you deserve -- such as $16.76 for many codes for infectious agent antigen detection by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), for example. Study the following CPT 2009 changes to make sure you-re coding correctly and capturing every penny for your lab. Update Injection/Infusion Codes for Evocative/Suppression Testing If your lab performs evocative/suppression testing, you know that the lab code is only part of the story. In addition to the appropriate code from the range 80400-80440 that describes the lab component of the protocol, there should be a charge for the evocative or suppressive agent. Don't miss physician charges for administering the drugs and possibly for evaluation and management of the patient during the procedure. Make this change to get paid: Because CPT 2009 updated the injection/infusion codes, you-ll see a reference to the new codes in the lab-section directions for evocative/suppression testing. The relevant new codes are 96360-96361 (Intravenous infusion, hydration -) and 96372-96375 (Therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic injection [specify substance or drug] -). You will need to select the correct code or codes based on the administration route, the substance or drug used, and the duration, if applicable. "If you continue to use the old injection/infusion codes that CPT 2009 removed and replaced with new codes, you won't get paid," says William Dettwyler, MT-AMT, president of Codus Medicus, a coding consulting firm in Salem, Ore. Serum Tests Expanded to Plasma or Whole Blood CPT 2009 changes four codes in the chemistry section that specified "serum" as the specimen source in past CPT editions. The new code definitions specify the specimen source as "serum, plasma or whole blood." - 82040 -- Albumin; serum, plasma or whole blood - 84132 -- Potassium; serum, plasma or whole blood - 84155 -- Protein, total, except by refractometry; serum, plasma or whole blood - 84295 -- Sodium; serum, plasma or whole blood. "Although practically, many people use these codes for any blood source, the word, -serum,- was really too restrictive," Dettwyler says. "Expanding the definition removes any uncertainty you might have about using the codes for plasma or whole blood." Note that many other chemistry codes maintain the narrower wording, such as 82010 (Acetone or other ketone bodies; serum, quantitative) and 82435 (Chloride; blood). "I would still say that you can use these codes that specify -serum- or -blood- with any component part [...]
