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Pulmonology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Think Twice Before Filing for Interpreter Service

Published on Wed Jan 28, 2009

Question: Which diagnosis code should I use with T1013 for using an interpreter with a Medicare patient?

Arizona Subscriber

Answer: Medicare and most other payers do not separately reimburse interpretive services.

Physicians are required to comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and all other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination in the delivery of services on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, handicap/disability, or religious beliefs.

Impact: Medicare and private payers usually consider interpretive services "incidental" to the rendered service, such as hospital care (99221-99233). Code T1013 (Sign language or oral interpretive services, per 15 minutes) is not valid for Medicare, according to the 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which assigns the code status I (Not valid for Medicare purposes). The majority of payers designate T1013 for use only by contracted non-medical vendors.

Recommendation: Verify in writing how you should bill for an interpreter's services with each of your individual payers before coding. You may need to contact a payer representative or check your individual policy to find this information. Also, Medicare and other payers may pay for extra time associated with using a translator. Check with your payer to see if this might be a coding option for interpreter services.

Answers to coding questions were reviewed by Carol Pohlig, BSN, RN, CPC, ACS, senior coding and education specialist at the University of Pennsylvania department of medicine in Philadelphia; and Alan L.Plummer, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

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