Cardiology Coding Alert

Some HMOs require Category IIs to meet treatment protocols

As of Jan. 1, you'll have a host of other new and renumbered cardiology-related Category II codes to choose from. The American Medical Association (AMA) posted the second round of new codes for the year, ranging from tobacco use to blood pressure.
 
Category II codes describe components usually included in an E/M service or the test results that are part of a laboratory test/procedure and collect data about quality of care.
 
Keep in mind: Some Category II codes may relate to healthcare professionals' compliance with state or federal law. For example, "some HMOs may require cardiologists to meet certain treatment protocols, and these codes provide a way for cardiologists to track those protocols without having to flip through the chart to see when something has been done," says Susan E. Callaway, CPC, CCS-P, an independent coding consultant and educator in North Augusta, S.C.

CPT codes has renumbered eight older codes that could benefit cardiology practices:
 

1000F - Tobacco use, smoking, assessed
       -Formerly 0002F

 

1001F - Tobacco use, non-smoking, assessed
      -Formerly 0003F

 

1002F - Anginal symptoms and level of activity, assessed
      -Formerly 0009F

 

2000F - Blood pressure, measured
      -Formerly 0001F

 

4000F - Tobacco use cessation intervention, counseling
      -Formerly 0004F

 

4001F - Tobacco use cessation intervention, pharmacologic therapy
      -Formerly 0005F

 

4002F - Statin therapy, prescribed
      -Formerly 0006F

 

4006F - Beta-blocker therapy, prescribed
      -Formerly 0007F.

CPT renumbered the Category II codes to align with types of care groupings. 
 
For instance, CPT will use the 0001F category for composite measures when they are developed, and the renumbered tobacco-use codes now fall under the "therapeutic, preventive or other interventions" category, etc., Callaway says. "Last year, these codes were introduced, but the feedback these codes provided needed to be more specific - hence the new codes."