Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Published on Fri May 15, 2009 PDF

• You may not have to worry about therapy caps for patients who received outpatient Part B services in the first quarter of 2009, depending on your carrier.

Due to delays in updating the claims system, "claims for outpatient therapy services provided during the January-March 2009 quarter, that were submitted and processed prior to April 6, 2009, were not applied to the 2009 calendar year (CY) therapy cap limitations," intermediary Cahaba GBA explained in an e-mail to providers.

The free ride means some of your Part B outpatient therapy patients will get some extra room in their caps this year.

CMS won't go back and apply the amounts that have already been billed toward the cap. But it will apply any amounts billed after April 6 to the cap, Cahaba explains.