Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Durable medical equipment suppliers have a host of new "K" codes to get familiar with, thanks to a trio of April 11 program memoranda from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In the memos (AB-03-043; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/AB03043.pdf, AB-03-044; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/AB03044.pdf and AB-03-045; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/AB03045.pdf), CMS adds temporary K codes for:
thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis (K0618 and K0619); and
dialysis supplies, speech generating devices and automatic defibrillators and supplies (K0606 through K0617). The agency also adds two K codes (K0620 and K0621) for surgical dressings. In other recent program memoranda CMS:
  clarifies coverage and billing policies for percutaneous image-guided breast biopsy (AB-03-042; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/AB03042.pdf);
lists educational resources available for 2003 changes to the hospital outpatient prospective payment system (A-03-027; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/A03027.pdf);
announces outpatient code editor updates for bills from hospitals that aren't paid under the OPPS (A-03-028; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/A03028.pdf);
provides technical instruction to DME regional carriers on retail pharmacy drug transactions (B-03-024; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/B03024.pdf);
gives DMERCs instructions on processing claims for the DeWall Posture Protector orthotic body jacket (B-03-025; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/B03025.pdf);
corrects wage index values and hospital geographical classifications listed erroneously in an Aug. 1 Federal Register installment (A-03-029; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/A03029.pdf); and
supplements carrier instruction on processing claims for services provided during the first two months of this year and paid under the physician fee schedule (B-03-023; http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/B03023.pdf).