Wiki "clinical features"

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With the new CPT book coming out there are major changes in the codes for VNS interrogations. Our neurology group has started submitting these encounters and when they are counting the number of parameters that are including what was called in the old CPT manual as "clinical features" assumed to be the Dx or symptom that has lead to making or not making adjustments to the VNS device. From what we can tell, the new guidelines do not mention "clinical features" per se and we are trying to find out if there is a clear explanation on what to count and what to count. For example, a Pt has a form of epilepsy (of which there are four considered to "medically necessary" according to CMS (if the Pt is covered by Medicare/Medicaid). Under the old guidelines, if a Pt has three parameters changed on their VNS device plus adding the clinical feature of the epilepsy the CPT code would have been 95974. If there were two parameters changed and the epilepsy counted, the code would have been 95971. 95974 and 95975 has been eliminated in the new CPT manual and guidelines are all new (green) text. Under the new guidelines three changes is going to be 95976 (simple programming for cranial nerve stimulator), >3 is going to be complex and yield a code of 95977. As it has turned out our physicians are coding three adjustments are 95977 because they are still counting the "clinical feature" of the epilepsy. Question for the forum: Has anyone found information on whether clinical features can still be included even if there is no specific words to that effect?
 
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