New telehealth codes for 2025 have an invalid status indicator from Medicare See the telemedicine section of CPT Coding Changes for 2025 for details. CPT® telephone codes 99441–99443 are deleted in the 2025 CPT book. Included in this article: Telehealth Update – March 19, 2025 Place of Service update from MLN Matters CPT® changes in […]
Nicoletti Notes
This way for news!
Written for coders and medical professionals, Nicoletti Notes is a coding blog designed to keep you up-to-date with coding news and refreshers. Written by CodingIntel founder and coding expert Betsy Nicoletti.
Performing Services that Increase Primary Care Revenue
Wellness Visits and Problem Visits at the Same Encounter Transitional Care Management Chronic Care Management Advance Care Planning HCPCS codes with low RVUs Advanced Primary Care Management Services | G0556, G0557, G0558 Post-operative Care Services Add-on Code | +G0559 CMS states it wants to increase pay to primary care physicians. And while we might quarrel […]
Behavioral Health Coding Compliance
Once again, with feeling: coding for behavioral health Coding for Behavioral Health Compliance lessons from the OIG Post-discharge Telephonic Follow-up Contacts Intervention | G0544 Digital Mental Health Treatment | G0552, G0553, G0554 Safety Planning Interventions | G0560 It’s been a year (seems like a minute) since the OIG released a report on coding for behavioral […]
CMS Adopts Codes for Caregiver Training Services (CTS)
This is information from the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, published Nov. 2, 2023. You can read it for yourself by downloading the pdf below. 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, published Nov. 2, 2023 MLN Matters article Jan. 2024 – PDF These are not on the telehealth list; they are in person services […]
Anticoagulation Management
There are a few remarkable things about coding for anticoagulation management services. First, payment for these services bolsters Medicare’s support for primary care. This monitoring is typically done by either primary care or cardiology and was considered part of the pre-and post-work for an office visit. Although there were CPT® codes for anticoagulation management prior […]
Behavioral Health and Telemedicine
In this post Overview of behavioral health services via telemedicine during the PHE Overview of behavioral health services after the PHE The Omnibus spending bill passed at the end of Dec. 2022 extended telehealth flexibilities for two years after the end of the PHE. The final MPFS 2025 extends the delay for the -in-person visit […]
Diagnosis Coding for Intentional Self-Harm
Another discussion of codes that use placeholder xxxA (or xxx with another 7th character) One of the most searched terms on CodingIntel is xxxA. Experienced diagnosis coders recognize the placeholder digits “xxx” and the 7th character extender A. When we pulled the list of ICD-10-CM codes that have xxxA in them, nine related to self-harm […]
Diagnosis coding for a fall (or other injury)
More discussion of codes that use placeholder xxxA (or xxx with another 7th character). When a patient presents for an injury after a fall, practitioners may be tempted to search for the word “fall” and select the first diagnosis that they find. Perhaps, they find the code W06.xxxA “fall from a bed” or even W19.xxxA […]
Community Health Integration (CHI) Services
This article includes information primarily from the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, but also the 2025 OPPS Fee Schedule in order to address billing when performed at an hospital outpatient department. The effective date for the CPT® and HCPCS codes, and CMS policy was 1-1-2024. Practitioner (physician/NPP) identifies Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) needs […]
Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule for Calendar Year 2025
2025 conversion factor $32.3465 (updated 11/19/2024) Coverage of new HCPCS codes On November 1, CMS released the final 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule. The rule contains dozens of new HCPCS codes that will take effect Jan. 1, 2025. From cardiovascular disease assessment and caregiver training services to a suite of behavioral health services, the new […]
What’s New in the Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Rule
This article describes the proposed HCPCS codes in the PFS with the proposed payment and highlights for each code set. Coding highlights from the 2025 PFS proposed rule Medicare releases proposed policy changes for medical services for the next year each July, accepts comments on the proposals for 60 days, and sends out the final […]
“xxxA” – ICD-10-CM Placeholder Code X and 7th Character Extension
Recently, while reviewing terms people use to find CodingIntel I was surprised to find that people were searching for “xxxA.” At first, I was afraid searchers were looking for a different kind of site….or sight. But searchers were looking for information about placeholder code X and 7th character extension A. These are typically used on […]
Consultation Codes
First, CMS stopped recognizing consult codes in 2010. Outpatient consultations (99241—99245) and inpatient consultations (99251—99255) were still active CPT® codes, and depending on where you are in the country, are recognized by a payer two, or many payers. In 2023, codes 99241 and 99251 are deleted. These two low level consult codes were rarely used. […]
CMS’s 2024 Shared or Split Services Policy: Document and Report Them Correctly
In 2024, CPT® expanded its definition of split/shared services, CMS updated their requirements. Neither CMS nor CPT made changes tot his policy for 2025. CPT® expanded its definition of split/shared services in 2024, stating that the substantive portion can be determined by the practitioner who spent more than 50% of the time, or who made […]
Billing for Pap Smear
Billing for pap smears in a physician practice can be confusing for clinicians and coders alike. Pap smears can be screening services or diagnostic services There is a HCPCS code for obtaining a screening pap smear, Q0091 Performing a pelvic exam is either part of a preventive medicine service or problem oriented visit A new […]
G0101 Pelvic and Breast Exam
Medicare developed two HCPCS codes for screening services for women, without definitive frequency time limits Both G0101 (screening breast and pelvic exam) and Q0091 (obtaining a screening pap smear) may be billed every two years for a low-risk patient and every year for high-risk patients These are not comprehensive preventive medicine services They may be […]
CPT® Codes (99421-99423) – and Payment for – Online Digital Evaluation and Management (E/M) Services
Or, as I call them: message, manage, message. There are CPT codes for online digital E/M services. CPT developed a set of CPT® codes for use by physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice nurse practitioners performing brief, online E/M services via a secure platform There are also CPT® codes for use by clinicians who do […]
2025 RVU table with national fee amounts
Looking for 2025 work RVUs? Wondering how much a new code pays? Look no farther. You can download the 2025 CMS national RVU table below. It does not include payment variations after the geographic practice cost indices have been applied. We’ve hidden some columns (which you can unhide) so that you see the code, short […]
HCC Coding: V24 versus V28
Medical practices are assessing the impact of the change in the HCC model from V24 to V28, a phased in change that begins in 2024. CMS pays Medicare Advantage (MA) plans using Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs), and many private payers and ACOs use the HCC model for risk adjustment. Briefly, Medicare pays MA plans more […]
Facility versus Non-Facility in the Physician Fee Schedule
Understanding facility versus non-facility in the physician fee schedule explains the RVU and payment differences that practices receive when performing the same service in different settings. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule has values for some CPT® codes that include both a facility and a non-facility fee. When CMS develops the fee schedule, each code has […]
HCPCS Code G0136 for Assessment Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)
HCPCS code G0136 for an assessment of patients a practitioner suspects may have difficulty with accessing treatment and following a treatment plan due to Social Determinants of Health (SDoH0 CMS established a standalone code G0136 (a HCPCS code) for the assessment of SDoH. They define SDoH into broad groups: “economic stability, education access and quality, […]