CMS lifted some restrictions on telehealth coverage in a bid to keep non-critically ill patients out of clinics and hospitals to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), but other still apply to hospitals.
With the release of a new ICD-10-CM code for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), hospitals now have a method to capture and report this critical disease. Although the code itself is relatively straightforward and likely won’t stir up confusion the way coding for complex diagnoses (such as sepsis) does, correctly documenting and coding COVID-19 is crucial to turning the tide on the national public health emergency.
Providers and payers now have revised tabular and index information for new ICD-10-CM code U07.1 (COVID-19) issued today by the panel that maintains the diagnosis code set in the U.S.
CMS released an update to its FAQon coding and billing for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 23. The FAQ clarifies the use of HCPCS and CPT® codes for diagnostic laboratory services.
Q: As our organization provides telephone and telemedicine encounters for services, we are considering using Q3014 for our provider-based departments in addition to the professional E/M. Does anyone have any experience with this code? If provider-based, are you applying this to a UB and the professional E/M to a 1500?
Providers will find immediate opportunity to provide virtual visits to patients enrolled in Medicare plans as CMS seeks to facilitate screening and treatment of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases through telehealth services and implement billing guidance for these visits.
Providers in the U.S. will soon have a specific ICD-10-CM diagnosis code for the COVID-19 virus. During a March 18 meeting, The ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee announced that it would adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) code, U07.1 (COVID-19), effective April 1.
Previously, the panel had planned to implement the code beginning October 1 in the U.S. But the committee moved up the adoption date after the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and President Trump declared the spread of the virus a national emergency, explained Donna Pickett, head of the diagnosis coding side of the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee. She announced the April 1 implementation date during the March 18 committee meeting.
Prior to April 1, providers can continue to report based on previously published interim guidelines, which outline, among other things, how to report illnesses caused by COVID-19.
Note that code U07.1 should be reported only for confirmed cases. Providers should continue to follow the interim guidelines for unconfirmed cases of suspected exposure or symptoms.
Code U07.1 is designed to be a primary code—coders are advised to code also pneumonia and all other manifestations.
Q: We are seeing an influx of possible novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients at our facility. How can we prepare to query for COVID-19-related documentation and coding issues that are bound to come our way due to the newness of the diagnosis?
CMS announced blanket waivers of certain Medicare requirements to prevent gaps in care for beneficiaries affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. The agency released billing instructions and a set of Q&As.
