Primary Care Coding Alert

Hint: all the answers can be found in previous issues of last year’s Primary Care Coding Alert!

The New Year is here, and with it comes plenty of coding challenges. CPT^® revisions may still be fresh in your mind, but did you update your old manual or buy a new one to remember them all? ICD-10 updates took effect on October 1, 2018. Have you mastered the ones that affect your practice? What about recent National Correct Coding Institute (CCI) edits?

We’ve put together a quiz to refresh your memory of some significant changes that took place in 2018 that could well affect your coding at some point in 2019.

Compare your answers to ours and see if you are ready to hit the ground running this January.

Question 1:
In September 2018, CPT^® removed two skin biopsy codes and replaced them with six new ones effective January 1. Which codes were involved, and why was the change made?

Question 2:
In its third-quarter NCCI edits, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) deleted the pairing of some evaluation and management (E/M) codes with three screening codes. Which codes were involved and why were the changes made?

Question 3:
Beginning October 1, 2018, ICD-10 added a whole section of codes in the Z13 (Encounter for screening for other diseases and disorders) category. What are they, and why were they needed?

Think you know the answers?