Final Approval: Partial Freeze for ICD-9 CM and ICD-10

The coming year i.e. 2013 will not have new diagnosis code changes so providers can breathe a sigh of relief. There will be a partial freeze of the ICD-9 procedure codes and ICD-10 (ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS) codes before the implementation of ICD-10 on October 1, 2014 by the ICD-9 CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee. There was also significant support for this partial freeze. The partial freeze on medical ICD codes is being implemented in the following ways:

• ·         On October 1, 2011 the last regular as well as annual update for both ICD-9 procedure codes and ICD-10 code sets was made.
• ·         There were partial code updates for both ICD-9 codes and ICD-10 code sets to capture new technologies and diseases as made essential by section 503(a) of Pub. L. 108-173 on October 1, 2012.
• ·         There will be only few code updates to ICD-10 code sets to capture new technologies and diagnoses as made mandate by section 503(a) of Pub. L. 108-173 on October 1, 2014. For ICD-9 codes there will be no updates as they will no longer be used for reporting.
• ·         ICD-10 codes will be regularly updated from October 1, 2014.

During this time of partial freeze the ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee will regularly meet twice a year. Also the public will be asked to participate in these meetings and their views will be taken on whether or not the requests for new diagnosis and ICD 9procedure codes need to be created based on the importance of the need to capture a new technology or disease. When the partial freeze finally ends, the code requests that did not meet the criteria will be taken into consideration to be implemented within ICD-10 on or after October 1, 2014.

The medical ICD codes discussed at the September 15^th and 16^th, 2010 and March 9^th and 10^th, 2011 by the ICD-9 CM Coordination and Maintenance Committee’s meeting were taken into consideration for implementation on 1^st October, 2011.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and CMS have not suggested any official changes to the ICD-9 codes and ICD-10 CM codes for the year 2013. The 2013 payment rule which has been proposed for hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) as well as long-term care hospitals is the one where CMS has announced some changes for the diagnosis code set, which also includes, “that for the year 2013, due to the code freeze or for new technology no changes were made for ICD-9 codes or coding system. Similarly, we can come to the conclusion that there will be no new, revised or deleted diagnosis and procedure codes that are usually announced in Tables 6A (new diagnosis codes), 6B (new procedure codes), 6C (invalid diagnosis codes), 6D (invalid procedure codes), 6E (revised diagnosis code titles) and 6F (revised procedure codes).”

Modifier –PD One of the Biggest Changes of CPT 2012

2012’s biggest change did not come in the form of the addition or deletion of a CPT code, but rather initiation of a modifier. 

The CPT 2012 manual brought several CPT procedure codes and modifier changes. But on top of all the changes, the big news was inception of modifier PD. It was introduced to designate services furnished to a Medicare beneficiary in the three days prior to an inpatient admission in a facility wholly owned or wholly operated by the hospital. This is inclusive of the physician practices that self-designate ownership interest, as well as enable payment at the facility rate and identify that the service is subject to the three day payment window. 

The existing as well as new patient definitions in the Evaluation and  Management (E/M) guidelines was revised to add further clarifications to the words “ specialties” and “subspecialties”. According to this revision, even if the physician is of the same specialty, differences between the subspecialty would require a significant new patient work-up and would be considered a new visit, say for instance cardiologist vs. electrophysiologist.

CPT codes 2012 lookup for some specialties: 

CPT codes for Integumentary services related to surgery

There have been extensive changes for Integumentary services including the deletion of 24 codes, revision of six codes and the addition of eight new codes. The Skin Replacement codes (15271-15278) subheading was revised drastically. New skin replacement guidelines were added to state that skin replacement surgery now consists of the surgical preparation and topical placement of an autograft, which includes cultured tissue autograft, or skin substitute homograft, allograft and xenograft. 

CPT procedure codes  for Musculoskeletal services related to surgery

Two new codes for the treatment of Dupuytren's Contracture were added to the Musculoskeletal section of CPT 2012 which are code 20527 for the injection of an enzyme, such as collagenase, into the contracture and code 26341 is the follow up code for the manipulation of the Dupuytren Cord POST ENZYME injection. This code is to be used for subsequent visit(s) post the initial injection.

The phrase "bone biopsy included when performed" has been added to all vertebroplasty codes to be consistent with the kyphoplasty codes. You cannot report a separate bone biopsy in addition to a vertebroplasty. It’s not acceptable anymore.

CPT codes cardiology (for Cardiovascular services related to surgery)

CPT code 71090, insertion pacemaker, fluoroscopy, radiological supervision and interpretation was assessed and found to be used in combination with Pacemaker/ICD procedures more than 75% of the time and as such as has been deleted. If fluoroscopic guidance is used for diagnostic lead evaluation minus lead insertion, coders need to use 76000, fluoroscopy up to 1 hour physician time.

CPT codes for Digestive system services related to surgery

CPT codes 49080 and 49081 (abdominal paracentesis) have made way for codes 49082-abdominal paracentesis without imaging guidance, 49083-WITH imaging guidance, and 49084-Peritoneal lavage with imaging guidance.

This is just a glimpse of few of the CPT code and verbiage changes that was incorporated this year and that had a say in your practice’s coding.

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