Radiology Coding Alert

But national coverage rules are still in effect, too.

Sometimes one coverage change leads to another.

When CMS decided to remove the phrase "blood flow measurement" from the Nationally Noncovered Indications at 220.2(C)(2) of the National Coverage Determinations (NCD) Manual, the agency announced a decision to review evidence on MRA's non-covered indications, too.

Result: CMS recently announced that local Medicare contractors will be the ones to decide whether to cover magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) services not specifically designated as nationally covered or non-covered.

In short, the decision states that CMS will merge the NCDs for MRI and MRA. And as part of the merge, CMS will maintain existing national coverage but will eliminate non-coverage language for MRA.

"The change in the national MRA policy is huge," says Anne C. Karl, RHIA, CCS-P, CPC, CCC, coding and compliance specialist with St. Paul Heart Clinic in Minnesota.

For example: "Previously MRA of the chest [71555, Magnetic resonance angiography, chest [excluding myocardium], with or without contrast material[s]) was limited to pulmonary emboli and thoracic aneurysm, and now the local carriers will have jurisdiction," Karl says.

Resource: You can download the transmittal announcing the change at www.cms.gov/transmittals/downloads/R123NCD.pdf. The transmittal has an effective date of June 3.