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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

3 Strategies Help You Improve Coding for Stem Cells
We'll show you how to recoup stem-cell transplantation pay When oncologists perform stem... Read more
Clip-and-Save Checklist:
Get a Grip on Stem-Cell Transplantation Codes
If you're looking for a way to remember all the procedure codes for stem-cell transplantat... Read more
Is Your Office Losing Money on Diagnostic PSAs?
Link the right ICD-9 code to 84153 The next time the oncologist uses diagnostic prostate ... Read more
Use Documentation to Avoid Prolonged Service Denials
Experts answer your prolonged care FAQs Don't let the abundance of guidelines for codes 9... Read more
PSA Testing:
Know Which ICD-9 Codes to Use
Clip and save the following CMS-approved ICD-9 codes that medically justify an oncologis... Read more
Correction:
Chemotherapy
The October/November 2003 Oncology Coding Alert article "How to Use Modifier -59 to Unbund... Read more
Reader Question:
Watch Out for Modifier -25
Question: Recently our carrier rejected my claim for 99214-25 and 71010. What did I do wro... Read more
Reader Question:
Append -52 to Halted CT
Question: Our radiation oncologist used computed tomography (CT) guidance to biopsy a panc... Read more
Reader Question:
Medicare Doesn't Reimburse Gleevec
Question: What documentation should we use to support our oncologist's off-label use of Gl... Read more
Reader Question:
CPT Intended 76140 for Physicians
Question: Should we append modifier -26 to 76140 when the oncologist consults on x-rays?Wi... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Reporting Hospice Oversight
Question: Which procedure codes should we report for our oncologist's oversight of hospice... Read more
4 Tips for Boosting Your Clinical Treatment Coding Accuracy
Here's how to report 77261-77263 and get paid If you're not sure how to report 77261-7726... Read more
Clip and Save:
A Complex Planning Checklist
Think you know all you need to know about planning for complex radiation treatment therapy... Read more
Reporting Special Services Codes
What you never want to do Documentation: One word says it all when you're reporting speci... Read more
How to Use Modifier -59 to Unbundle Chemotherapy Codes
You know you should use modifier -59 to indicate when the oncologist performs separate, me... Read more
Watch Out for These Leukemia Coding Pitfalls
If your oncology practice expects you to report 99211 and other E/M codes for dispensing o... Read more
Think You've Made Your Case for Modifier -22?
Not if you haven't done these 4 things If you're appending modifier -22 (Unusual procedur... Read more
Easy Access:
Review These Modifier -22 Do's and Don'ts
Make sure you run through your list of do's and don'ts before submitting your claim for pa... Read more
Want to Use 79030 and 79035? Here's How
Radiation oncology coders should come prepared when they report 79030 or 79035, because th... Read more
Which Codes to Use When Reporting Thyroid Scan Treatments
Refer to this clip-and-save checklist for your next thyroid coding challenge When it come... Read more
Reader Question:
Use -Q5 for Reciprocal Billing
Question: In what situations should we use modifier -Q5?Tennessee Subscriber Answer: If a... Read more
Reader Question:
List 199.1 for Neurendocrine Carcinoma
Question: What is the diagnosis code for neurendocrine carcinoma? We could find no specifi... Read more
Reader Question:
Recoup Costs for Blood Work
Question: Many lung transplantation (32851, Lung transplant, single; without cardiopulmona... Read more
Reader Question:
Forfeit Pay for Indirect Prolonged Services
Question: Will Medicare carriers reimburse our oncologist for more than 30 minutes of addi... Read more
Reader Question:
Consultation Codes to Follow
Question: A patient's primary-care physician (PCP) noticed a suspicious growth on a patien... Read more
Reader Question:
Learn to Live Without 99050 and 99058
Question: We recently began operating an after-hours walk-in clinic for urgent conditions.... Read more
Reader Question:
No ICD-9 Code for Disability Evaluation
Question: My oncologist frequently treats patients on disability. How should I report the ... Read more
Reader Question:
Append Modifier -22 to Surgical Codes
Question: How should I decide whether managing excessive bleeding that requires extra phys... Read more
Reader Question:
Don't Append Modifier -26 to 76140
Question: Should we append modifier -26 to 76140 when we perform a consultation on x-rays?... Read more
Reader Question:
Add 76085 to Bilateral Mammograms
Question: CPT 2003 states that coders should report add-on code 76085 with the bilateral... Read more
Reader Question:
Report Angiogram Codes Separately
Question: When my oncologist performs chemoembolization, I report both 37204 and 75894. Bu... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Separate Code for Pump Disconnection
Question: Can we report a code for our oncologist disconnecting a pump following chemother... Read more
Get Optimal Pay for Screening and Diagnostic Mammograms:
Experts Show You How
If you're not sure whether to use 76092 or 76090 when a patient has a screeningturned-diag... Read more
6 Expert Tips to Boost Your ICD-9 Coding Accuracy
If you continually make the same mistakes with oncology-related ICD-9 codes, you could att... Read more
Quiz:
Screening or Diagnostic? Test Your Mammogram Identification Skills
Test your ability to determine whether a screening or diagnostic mammogram should be cod... Read more
How to Report Heparin and Saline - and Get Paid
Learn to Bill J Codes Properly With Chemo Infusion  As an oncology coder who de... Read more
Reader Question:
Submit 90784 Claims Separately From E/M Services
Question: How can we properly bill for 90784 when our oncologist performs a therapeutic in... Read more
Reader Question:
Report 203.xx With 198.5
Question: A coworker at our oncology practice told me that I should never report 203.xx (M... Read more
Reader Question:
Use V Codes for Supplemental Diagnoses
Question: Should we use V58.1 as a primary diagnosis for chemotherapy treatment?Wisconsin ... Read more
Reader Question:
Selectively Report E/Ms With Prostate Screenings
Question: What are the rules for coding prostate cancer screenings? Can we report E/M serv... Read more
Reader Question:
Use 99211 for Prothrombin Counseling
Question: Can we use 99211 (Office or other outpatient visit) for the time a nurse spent a... Read more
Reader Question:
Base Brachytherapy Code on Catheters
Question: One of our radiation oncologists performed a breast brachytherapy using a Mammos... Read more
Reader Question:
Bill 202.01 for Lymphoma in Remission
Question: We have a patient with nodular lymphoma that our oncologist has documented as in... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Does Medicare Reimburse for Lung Tumor Ablation?
Question: Our radiation oncologist performed a computed tomography (CT)-guided lung tumor ... Read more
Reclaim Your Denied IMRT and Dosimetry Payments With NCCI, Version 9.2
If Medicare denied your separate billing of 77300 and 77301 when your oncologist perform... Read more
Want to File 77300 With Confidence? Heres How
Reporting 77300 multiple times in one claim can create confusion for the coder who doesnt ... Read more
News You Can Use:
NCCI Deletes G0242 Bundles
Use this quick key for easy access to these bundling edits.Now when your radiation oncolog... Read more
Take Your Coding to the Next Digit:
CMS Gets Specific With Sickle-Cell Disease
Oncology coders will finally be able to report different forms of sickle-cell disease with... Read more
Reader Question:
Use Modifier -24 for Unrelated E/M Services
Question: A gynecologic oncologist who also performs chemotherapy administration sees a pa... Read more
Reader Question:
Report 78460 for Multiple Thallium Studies
Question: How should we bill for multiple thallium studies with multiple-gated acquisition... Read more
Reader Question:
Learn CMS Guidelines for Pap Smears
Question: During a chemotherapy treatment, a Medicare patient requested a Pap smear, whi... Read more
Reader Question:
Bill 96414 for Office Chemotherapy Infusion
Question: We send pumps home with some of our patients and need to know how to bill for ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Nurse-Only Allergy Injections
Question: Our nurse injects a patients allergy medication. Can we charge for a nurse-only ... Read more
Should You Bill for Multiple Radiation Treatments on the Same Day?
If you thought you couldn't get paid for multiple radiation treatments on the same day, ... Read more
Watch Out:
Monitor Your 20-MeV Code Usage
Keep a careful eye on how often you report 20-MeV codes (77406, 77411 and 77416) if you b... Read more
Radiation Therapy Made Simple:
Code Checklist
Need to refresh your memory of CPT codes for radiation therapy delivery services? Take a l... Read more
Document 38220, 38221:
Heres How
Need direction on how to educate your oncologist regarding unbundling 38220 (Bone marrow; ... Read more
Bone Marrow Biopsy and Aspiration Revisited - How to Unbundle 38220, 38221 for Better Pay
The advice youve read and heard about coding bone marrow aspirations and biopsies could ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Distinguish Between a Screening and Diagnosis
Question: How can I determine whether a mammogram should be coded as screening (76092) o... Read more
Reader Questions:
Report 77427 for 3 or More Radiation Fractions
Question: How should our oncology practice code for more than five fractions in a radiatio... Read more
Reader Questions:
Use 99201-99205 for Independent Second Opinions
Question: After a patients oncologist diagnosed him with stomach cancer (151.0, Malignant ... Read more
Reader Questions:
Bill Incident-To Services Correctly
Question: A patient came into our multiphysician oncology practice for her monthly chemoth... Read more
Reader Questions:
File E/M, Chemotherapy Administration Separately
Question: My oncologist and I disagree about whether we should bundle E/M services (99211-... Read more
Reader Questions:
Bill Patients Who Refuse to Sign ABNs
Question: Which modifier should I report when a patient signs an advance beneficiary notic... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Physician Supervision of Hospice Care
Question: Our oncologist has been supervising the care of a hospice patient with brain can... Read more
Dont Let Special Handicap Your Payment:
Show Payers Dynamite Documentation
What's so special about your physician's work? If payers can't answer this questio... Read more
Increase Pay by 18 Percent:
Maximize Incident-To
Just a change in identification and the right documentation and payers will see ... Read more
Report This Tricky Example Incident-To
Check your incident-to coding skills: How would you report this shared E/M service... Read more
Ace TACE Payments:
Identify, Breakdown Services
Chemoembolization should block blood from flowing to tumors not block your cash flo... Read more
Reader Question :
Use This List for Unlisted Procedures
Question: What documentation must I have to report an unlisted-procedure code, such ... Read more
Reader Question :
Rake In the Green With CADD Pumps
Question: What is a CADD pump, and how should I code for it? Mississippi Subscriber... Read more
Reader Question :
For Uncertain Neoplasm Behavior, Specify Site
Question: The physician's documentation shows a neoplasm with uncertain behavior o... Read more
You Be the Coder:
New Zevalin Codes
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looki... Read more
Bone Marrow Biopsies + Aspirations:
Modifier Moves You Should and Shouldnt Make
Say goodbye to modifier -51 (Multiple procedures) and hello to modifier -59 (Distinc... Read more
Bone Marrow Biopsy Coding Tip:
Dont Misuse Modifier -50: It Means Bilateral
When the definition says "bilateral," it means "bilateral." Don't append modifier -50 ... Read more
Test Your Coding Knowledge:
Quiz Yourself on Chemotherapy, Pumps,Flushes and More
You can read coding articles until you're blue in the face, but if you can't remem... Read more
Mammograms for Breast Implants:
A Coding Challenge You Cant Afford to Overlook
A fine line separates screening and diagnostic mammogram tests, and you had better not... Read more
Reader Question:
Stop Limiting Pelvic US Payments
Question: Our physician performed a nonobstetric ultrasound of the pelvic region on a ... Read more
Reader Question:
Block 77280 Audits,Denials
Question: Our clinic has heard a lot about groups getting audited for block verificati... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Expect Trouble With Males
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looki... Read more
Extract Breast Biopsy Payment With BIRADS Level and Pathology Report
Surgical and radiological oncology coders, you can increase the size of your breas... Read more
Pick the Right Coding Option For Your Physicians Extra Time
Your oncologist may have spent extra time, but you shouldn't. Select the correct cod... Read more
News Flash:
Payment for Three Drugs Just Got Easier
In the past six months, three drugs graduated from the often-denied "off-label" drug s... Read more
Separate Water From Drugs to Catch More Chemo Payment
Stop pouring the dollars down the drain. Many of your chemotherapy patients need hyd... Read more
Reader Question:
Report Basic Assessments Infrequently
Question: We have nurses routinely assess our oncology patients. What type of assessme... Read more
Reader Question:
Stop Waiting for Standby Payment
Question: We have been told that physicians or surgeons have to be in the physical pre... Read more
Reader Question:
Track Your Physicians CPO Time
Question: We are having problems collecting payment for care plan oversight (CPO) serv... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Payment for Dual Work
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking... Read more
Step Up to the Plate:
Report 99211 with 96410
Many oncology coders mistakenly believe E/M services and chemotherapy services ar... Read more
Fight for Your Modifier -25 Claims With These 4 Simple Suggestions
Who knew that one little modifier could do so much damage for coders? Put modi... Read more
G Code Changes Prostate Brachytherapy Pay-Up
As Medicare continues to scale back payment for the time-intensive, complex work inv... Read more
Reader Question:
Get Over 77280 Nerves
Question: Our clinic has heard a lot about groups getting audited for block verifi... Read more
Reader Question:
Only Code Diagnostic Mammogram
Question: My oncologist performed a routine screening mammogram on a 66-year-old Med... Read more
Reader Question:
Aspire to Grasp 19000
Question: What is the difference between the codes for fine needle aspiration and ... Read more
Reader Question:
End Possibility Dx Coding
Question: My oncologist reported "possible lymphoma" as the diagnosis for one of his... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Dont Code Cancer for Phlebotomy
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before loo... Read more
3-D Simulation Takes Radiation Oncology into the Next Dimension
Radiation oncology coders working with practices that perform complex radiation tr... Read more
Tips for Billing Consultations in and out of the Office
Although oncologists frequently provide consultations, properly reporting these E/M se... Read more
Highlights from the 2003 Physician Fee Schedule:
Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy Blues Remain
Ambiguous statements by Medicare in the 2003 Physician Fee Schedule re... Read more
News Brief:
No New G Code for Bone Marrow
In the 2003 Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare has axed a proposed G code (GXXXX) that wou... Read more
Reader Question:
Distinguish between Supervising and Ordering Physicians
Question: Our physicians sign their own chemotherapy orders. However, one of our phy... Read more
Reader Question:
Dont Overlook Modifier -25
Question: During a scheduled bone marrow biopsy, our oncologist typically performs a p... Read more
Reader Question:
Bill V58.1 with Interrupted Chemo and Pretreatment
Question: I have a question regarding pretreatment drugs. Recently, a patient was pret... Read more
Reader Question:
How to Use Observation Codes with Chemo
Question: Please tell me if it is appropriate to use observation care E/M codes if a p... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier -27 Is Made for Hospitals
Question: I work at a cancer center at a teaching hospital. Lately, we have been getti... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Follow-up to E/M Portion of IMRT
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before lo... Read more
Bill for SNF Patients Without Losing Your Mind or Your Shirt
When billing for skilled nursing facility (SNF) patients who present to your oncolog... Read more
How to Collect on Chemotherapy for Non-Cancerous Conditions
Inserting the wrong variable in the equation can result in mystifying denial patterns.... Read more
Code Chemistry Changes Conservatively or Else
Numerous changes to the Hematology section of the 2003 CPTcode descriptors are desig... Read more
Reader Question:
No Whole Influenza Vaccine in 2003
Question: I heard that the code for flu vaccine (90659) has been changed to 90658 in... Read more
Reader Question:
PunchIn a Simple Code for Biopsy
Question: I was working on a pathology report that made reference to a "punch biopsy."... Read more
Reader Question:
Methotrexate Allows for E/M
  Question: If a physician administers an intramuscular injection of methotrex... Read more
Reader Question:
Use Modifier -GA With ABNs
Question: I would like to know what modifier to use when a patient signs an ABN for ... Read more
Reader Question:
Injection and Q Codes
Question: Please advise me if a hospital-based practice can bill an injection code 90... Read more
Reader Question:
Bill Hospice Components With Care
Question: Our doctor had a patient who was transferred to hospice and is in a nursing ... Read more
Reader Question:
Breast Cancer Returns in Lung
Question: How should we code a metastatic breast cancer in which the breast was re... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Outpatient Chemotherapy Precludes E/M Billing
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking... Read more
Available Years:  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999