T’was the night before New Year’s and all through the office, not a creature was stirring—except for the billing manager trying to incorporate all of the 2012 changes into the new qualified/certified EMR system before 2012…
Such is the world of medical coding and compliance.
So, before we start reflecting back on 2011 and looking forward to 2012, let’s talk about a few last-minute changes and loose ends that you need to tie up before the end of the year.
CPT Code 92070, which is the fitting of a contact lens for medical or therapeutic purposes (including supply of lens), has been deleted for 2012 and replaced with the following two codes:
- CPT Code 92071—Fitting of a contact lens for treatment of ocular surface disease. Please report materials in addition to this code, using either 99070 or the appropriate HCPCS Level II material code. This is the appropriate code to use for fitting a bandage contact lens.
- CPT Code 92072—Fitting of a contact lens for management of keratoconus, initial fitting. For subsequent fittings, please use either the 9921X or 9201X codes. Please report materials in addition to this code, using either 99070 or the appropriate HCPCS Level II material code.
Please do not report 92071 and 92072 on the same day of service.
The additional differentiation that these codes bring will be of significant benefit to our practices and for the appropriate treatment of our patients.
The Future is Now
Even Santa has his hands full trying to make use of Meaningful Use.
2011 brought us many changes and 2012 looks to bring us many more.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is predicting a 27.4% decrease in physician payments and additional scrutiny to our claims. Penalties for not participating in e-prescribing will now be levied for the first time. Meaningful use will continue to be the buzzword in practices across the country as we strive to get our EMR rebates. And, of course, we are moving ever closer to the implementation of the ICD-10 codes in October 2013.
For all of these things, what once seemed to be a long time off is now a reality in our day-to-day lives.
In closing, just a quick word of thanks to our contributing writers this year—their efforts and expertise were much appreciated.
And I wish all of you a very special holiday season and a happy new year!
Please send your comments to CodingAbstract@gmail.com.
