Pulmonology Coding Alert

Question: Should we report patient-initiated spirometry on the last day of the month?

Illinois Subscriber

Answer: Make sure you submit 94014 (Patient-initiated spirometric recording per 30-day period of time; includes reinforced education, transmission of spirometric tracing, data capture, analysis of transmitted data, periodic recalibration and physician review and interpretation) consistently each month, preferably on the last day of the month. For instance, if you submit 94014 on the last day of the month, and the next month you submit the claim mid-month, insurers will deny your claim, coding experts say.
 
Sometimes coders and pulmonologists have a difficult time obeying this rule, because at-home spirometric machines transmit readings daily. For example, during at-home spirometric testing, the results are transmitted daily through the Internet from the spirometer's computer to a remote terminal at a medical center or physician's office, where your physician analyzes the data. This also means that your pulmonologist interprets results on several dates, as well. Even so, you can report 94014 only once a month.