Question: If we use one-time disposable stim pads in the office, would this be billed to insurers as a supply or are they part of the overall procedure?
Arizona Subscriber
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
There is a HCPCS code for TENS supplies (A4595, TENS supplies, two lead, per month), but it is restricted for durable medical equipment (DME) supplier use another indication that providers are not expected to bill for these separately. DME suppliers have access to the code to report issuing home-use devices such as a personal TENS unit. Of course, this would require that the patients physician ordered the TENS unit and also signed a certificate of medical necessity if indicated. (For more on DME billing, see the cover article Medical Necessity Is Key to Reimbursement for DME Supplies.)
Note: Advice for You Be the Coder was provided by Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P, owner of A+ Medical Management and Education, a coding and reimbursement consulting firm and a national CPC training curriculum site in Egg Harbor City, N.J.