Debra, a follow up to your response that AMA is in favor of this. Are you saying that AMA supported the modifier indicator change done by CMS? I cannot find any AAOS discussion on this change. While AMA finalizes and published CPT codes, they are not in charge of CCI edits which are authorized by CMS and published by NTIS.
Usually, when edits are changed, CMS sends an email to any affected specialty society notifying them of the intended change and allowing them 90 days to comment/challenge the change. I cannot locate any discussion that occurred on the change in 29880 and G0298’s modifier indicator from 1 (allowed) to 0. Sometimes, the email goes to the wrong recipient (for instance, that employee is no longer in that position) or sometimes it just goes unnoticed due to increased workloads from reduced budgets or employee turnover.
The modifier indicator change effective with CCI 18.0, effective Jan. 1 2012 contradicts the updated 2012 CCI policy manual – Chapter 4 -Bullet #10 which states:
10. CPT codes 29874 (Surgical knee arthroscopy for removal of loose body or foreign body)
and 29877 (Surgical knee arthroscopy for debridement/shaving of articular cartilage) should
not be reported with other knee arthroscopy codes (29866-29889). HCPCS code G0289 (Surgical
knee arthroscopy for removal of loose body, foreign body, debridement/shaving of articular
cartilage at the time of other surgical knee arthroscopy in a different compartment of the same knee)
may be reported.
I am contacting AAOS to see if they were aware of the modifier indicator change and the still existing manual entry. I will also contact some contractor medical directors and raise this issue. I have taken these actions with two questionable modifier changes in the past that eventually led to two reversals of such “surprise” modifier indicator changes – one affecting pediatrics and one affecting ENT.
Do you, however, have inside information that AAOS was notified of the intended change by CMS and supported/challenged it -- and it was ultimately accepted?
Thank you for any further information you can share.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Godreau, BA, CPC, CPMA, CPEDC
Director of Development & Operations, SuperCoder.com, The Coding Institute, LLC
jenniferg@codinginstitute.com