Industry Notes:
Now's The Time To Put New Transfer Code On Claims
Published on Wed Jun 02, 2010
The time has come to say goodbye to source of admission codes B and C. Don't let all the controversy over PECOS lead you to forget a more low-profile billing change taking effect this month -- changes to codes used when patients transfer home health agencies. Back in February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services set plans to eliminate source of admission codes "B" and "C," CMS said in Feb. 5 Transmittal No. 1904 (CR 6757) (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XIX, No. 7, p. 51). Old way: Code "B" used to represent "transfer from another home health agency" and code "C" indicated "readmission to the same home health agency." Both codes triggered a partial episode payment adjustment (PEP). New way: HHAs must use new condition code "47" instead of code "B." Code "47" will indicate "the patient was admitted to this home health agency as a transfer from another home health [...]