Open Door Forum on new process slated for later this month. Dramatic increases in the number of coding applications have spurred the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to change the way it updates the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System.
The revisions, which CMS will institute over the next 18 months, are aimed at making new items and services available more quickly, the agency says in a release. The changes will "improve the development of codes for new technologies, and make it easier to make decisions on coverage and payment for these items, as well as provide a more open, transparent coding process," CMS says.
Medicare won't be the only party using the new system. Medicaid and private insurers are on the bandwagon as well.
Here's what to expect:
The changes came about from Medicare Modernization Act provisions passed last December. "We are delivering on our promise to our health care partners to create a more effective system for providing patients with faster access to the latest medical technologies," CMS Administrator Mark McClellan says. "By working with patient advocates, health care payers, and the suppliers and manufacturers of medical products, we have been able to identify many opportunities for improvements in the current coding process to keep coding issues from slowing the dissemination of new and improved treatments."
Got questions? CMS plans to hold an Open Door Forum on the changes Oct. 27.