Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Experts predict easier reporting after transition period When your oncologist performs radiopharmaceutical gland ablation on a thyroid carcinoma patient in 2005, it looks as if CPT will want you to code the procedure with a new oral administration code. In fact, the oral administration code is set to stand in for several old codes that CPT has deleted in next year's edition.

You'll soon have three new radiopharmaceutical therapy codes that specify administration method - which could make your claims for these services easier to file. Starting Jan. 1, you can use these new nuclear medicine codes:

79005 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by oral administration

79101 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by intravenous administration

79445 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by intra-arterial particulate administration.
 
CPT 2005 also includes other changes that alter the 79000-79999 nuclear medicine code family considerably, cutting away a cache of old codes to make way for these three new ones and revising descriptions for four other codes. Changes for the Better in the Long Run

The bottom line: Though there will be growing pains, coders will probably be better off with the new codes once they get used to using them.

"The nuclear medicine code [family has] been condensed, and reports method of administration rather than body area," says Cindy Parman, CPC, CPC-H, RCC, president elect of the AAPC National Advisory Board and president of Coding Strategies Inc. in Dallas, Ga.

"Regarding scenarios (in which coders would use these codes), we can only guess at this point, but it seems coding will be simplified in this section" in 2005, Parman says.

Note: Oncology offices need to acknowledge these relevant changes in radiopharmaceutical therapy codes before Jan. 1, 2005, when CMS mandates that you use the new codes. Remember, there is no 90-day grace period to get used to the new code additions and deletions.

Intracavitary Administration Code Has New Descriptor  In addition, CPT will also update the descriptions of these four codes, which will read as follows beginning on Jan. 1, 2005: 

79200 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by intracavitary administration

79300 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by interstitial radioactive colloid administration

79440 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, by intra-articular administration

79999 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, unlisted procedure.

Thyroid Suppression Reported Differently in 2005

While the nuclear medicine code group gained several new codes, CPT deleted the following codes from the family in 2005:

79000 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, hyper-thyroidism; initial, including evaluation of patient

79001 - ... subsequent, each therapy

79020 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, thyroid suppression (euthyroid cardiac disease), including evaluation of patient

79030 - Radiopharmaceutical ablation of gland for thyroid carcinoma

79035 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy for metastases of thyroid carcinoma

79100 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, poly-cythemia vera, chronic leukemia, each treatment by intravenous injection

79400 - Radiopharmaceutical therapy, nonthyroid, nonhemotalogic by intravenous injection

79420 - Intravascular radiopharmaceutical therapy, particulate

79900 - Provision [...]