Pulmonology Coding Alert

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance for the preventive service began nearly a year ago, on Jan. 1, 2011, but asymptomatic patients became eligible for the counseling benefit on Aug. 25, 2010 (retroactive coverage).

CR 7133 instructs that, effective for claims with dates of service on and after August 25, 2010, CMS will cover counseling to prevent tobacco use for outpatient and hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries:

• Who use tobacco (regardless of whether they have signs or symptoms of tobacco-related disease)
• Who are competent and alert at the time that counseling is provided; and
• Whose counseling is furnished by a qualified physician or other Medicare-recognized practitioner.