HCPCS Applications Due Jan. 5, 2009
Applications for new or revised Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for the 2010 update are due January 5, 2009.
2009 HCPCS Code Update
CMS has released the 2009 update of the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code set.
Medicare Medically Unlikely Edits Announced
CMS has released most of its “Medically Unlikely Edits” (MUE), which are used by Medicare contractors when processing claims to ensure that providers and suppliers do not report excessive services. An MUE for a HCPCS/CPT code is the maximum units of service under most circumstances that a provider would report for a code for a single beneficiary on a single date of service; claims with more than the MUE edit amount will be denied (unless a modifier is used to used to report medically necessary units of service in excess of an MUE value). The MUE currently contains edits for about 9,700 HCPCS/CPT codes, although CMS is not publishing all active MUEs since it could diminish the effectiveness of MUE edits that are designed to detect and deter questionable payments rather than billing errors. CMS will update the list quarterly.
ICD-10-CM/PCS Conference Calls
CMS will host a series of national provider calls regarding issues associated with the adoption of the ICD-10 coding system. Separate calls are scheduled for hospital staff (October 14), other Part A and Part B providers (November 12), and physicians (November 17). Call details, including registration information and CMS’s slide presentation, are available on the CMS web site.
The transcript of the call for hospital staff on October 14, 2008 is now available.
