Pediatric Critical Care Bundles To Change From January 1

In the New Year, as a pediatric coder, you will witness a whole new crop of bundles with pediatric critical care and transport services. As a matter of fact, CPT has gone retro with pediatric critical care transport codes 99466-99467, reverting the bundles back to the 2007 rules.

So from January 1, 2011, CPT will change which services are bundled into critical care codes 99291-99292 based on whether a facility or professional reports the services. In addition, CPT will return the list of services bundled into 99466-99467 to the bundles that were in effect as of 2007.

From 2011, the following services are included when performed during the pediatric patient transport by the doctor providing critical care and may not be reported separately:

Routine monitoring evaluations (example heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry)

Interpretation of cardiac output measurements (93562)
Chest x-rays (71010-71020)
Pulse oximetry (94760-94762)
Blood gases and information data stored in computers (example ECGs, blood pressures, hematologic data ? 99090)
Gastric intubation (43752-43753)
Temporary transcutaneous pacing (92953)
Ventilatory management (94002-94003, 94660-94662)
Vascular access procedures (36000, 36400-36406, 36415, 36591, and 36600

Critical care: In the just-in year, pediatricians from your practice will still face the following services as being bundled into critical care: interpretations of cardiac output measurements, chest x-rays, pulse oximetry, blood gases, information data stored in computers (such as ECGs and blood pressures), gastric intubation, temporary transcutaneous pacing, vent management, and vascular access. However, facilities will be able to report these services separately from critical care and will not face the bundles.

Remember: This means that you can report the critical care code only, even if the facility is reporting the critical care codes as well as the separate x-rays, intubation, and other services separately.

Also, stay away from reporting new observation care codes with other E/M

There are new offerings when it comes to coding subsequent observation care, owing to the addition of 99224-99226 to CPT 2011. Even though confusion surounded these codes when CPT first debuted, some rules have recently come to light on how you can report them.

For further information on this and for other medical coding updates, sign up for a medical coding guide like Supercoder.

We provide you simple, instant connection to official code descriptors & guidelines and other tools for 2010 CPT code, HCPCS lookup that help coders and billers to excel in the work they do every day.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/health-fitness/pediatric-critical-care-bundles-to-change-from-january-1-3717.html

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