Hi,
CCI means "Correct Coding Initiative" and they are contained in the CCI Edits Handbook. You can find it online via an excel format on the CMS website or you can subscribe to the written texts that are for sale.
Basically there are 2 colums which contain cpt codes. Column 1 is your main code/procedure and when you want to bill another service with it, you can look up to see if doing so would "unbundle" the 2 services. Column 2 shows all the codes that are considered "components" of the main code found in Column 1.
For example, look up code 99213 in Column 1. Next to it will be a large number of cpt codes - all the codes that are considered "bundled" into the 99213. There is a third colum which show "indicators" - (0) means that there is no way that any payor would allow payment or billing of the combination of codes found in that row, there is no modifier you can add, there is no documentation you can send, etc. Basically, the two codes are not billable together. An indicator of (1) means that a modifier can be appended to the cpt code in Column 2 to allow it to be unbundled and therefore considered separately for payment. Remember that the modifier goes on the cpt code in Column 2. Typically, this modifier is (-59).
Lastly, there is a grouping called "Mutually Exclusive" codes. These are cpt codes that are inherently considered components of each other and therefore not considered when unbundled.
One last thing, make sure that when you look up codes to see if they are billable together, that you look them both up in Column 1 codes. What I mean by this is that if you want to see if 99213 and 99214 are billable together (I know that they're not but just follow me on this...), you first look up code 99213 as a Column 1 code and see if 99214 is considered a component of it. Then, look up code 99214 as a Column 1 code and see if 99213 is considered a component of it. You get what I mean?
Anyway....I hope that helps. Below is the link for the online CCI Edits on CMS. I used to do a lot of coding and auditing when I worked for a large billing company for different types of surgeons and specialties and worked a great deal with the CCI Handbook. It can also come in handy when working on overturning denials.
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalCorrectCodInitEd/NCCIEP/list.asp