Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Recognizing critical care services can add $258 to your bottom line. If your oncologist has to step in to treat a patient's adverse reaction to chemotherapy, be sure the doctor documents her work because Medicare wants to reimburse you. To claim all of your practice's rightful dollars, keep your eyes peeled for the three circumstances below when you may report an E/M code in addition to infusion admin codes. 1. Include Infusion Code + Adverse Reaction E/M If a patient has an adverse drug reaction during a chemotherapy session and the physician intervenes, report the appropriate office visit E/M code based on the services provided (such as 99213, Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient ...), states MLN Matters article SE0462. An anaphylactic reaction to the chemotherapy drugs may be the most common emergency you see, says Elisa Parra, CPC, HIM supervisor for [...]