Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

You should have less trouble from now on when a drug could be covered under Part B or Part D of Medicare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in MLN Matters article SE0652. Prescription drug plans (PDPs) can't pay for Part B-covered drugs, but some drugs have dual uses. For example, Part B only covers prednisone when it's used to prevent organ rejection for transplant patients. Some PDPs imposed cumbersome -prior authorization- procedures for Part B/Part D covered drugs, but CMS has told the PDPs to cover those drugs whenever the prescription includes the words -Part D- and a Part D-covered diagnosis, such as -contact dermatitits.-