Cardiology Coding Alert

Give your documentation a shot in the arm with this NGS worksheet.

To boost your chances of dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker coverage, head over to the National Government Services (NGS) website for a peek at a checklist that could help support medical necessity for your claims.

The issue: CMS may cover dual-chamber pacemaker (PM) implant for the indications included in the national coverage determination (NCD) for single-chamber PMs if documentation shows the physician's clinical reasons for choosing a dual chamber PM in the individual patient's case.

The solution: To simplify meeting documentation requirements and decrease denials for dual-chamber PM implant, NGS created a 3-page checklist for its providers to use as a guide. The checklist doesn't guarantee reimbursement, but it's a good tool for supporting clinical justification.

If you'd like to download the checklist, start at www.ngsmedicare.com. Under the Part B menu, choose Forms. Under Documentation, click "Dual-Chamber Cardiac Pacemaker NCD-Based Checklist." Alternatively, you may find Forms listed in the drop-down menu under Resources, which is located in the top menu on the NGS home page.