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Pulmonology Coding Alert

PR Relief:

New NCDWill Promote Increased Access and More Consistent Reimbursement

Published on Mon Jun 01, 2009

2009 came and went without national PR coverage, but many hold high hopes for 2010. If your practice has held back on pulmonary rehabilitation services due to reimbursement restrictions, next year may bring a whole new set of services and codes to the table. What's new: HR 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, established a specific Medicare benefit for pulmonary rehabilitation, which is slated to take effect nationwide on Jan. 1, 2010. This change spells the end of a lengthy battle for PR's benefits, especially for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Currently, local PR policies vary by jurisdiction and some local coverage  determinations have even revoked PR coverage. "Until now, there is no question that a lack of a national coverage determination (NCD) hampers the delivery of PR, principally because of the lack of consistency in reimbursement," says Alan L. Plummer, MD, professor of [...]
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