Pulmonology Coding Alert

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 [...]