Audrey Deeken-Draisey, Allison Ritchie, Guang-Yu Yang, Margaret Quinn, Linda M Ernst, Ajda Guttormsen, Gyongyi Ella Simionov, Kruti P Maniar
CONTEXT: - The Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) system is a standardized numerical coding system for reporting medical procedures and services, and is the basis for reimbursement of health care providers by Medicare and other third-party payers. Accurate CPT coding is therefore crucial for appropriate compensation as well as for compliance with Medicare policies, and erroneous coding may result in loss of revenues and/or significant monetary penalties for a hospital or practice. OBJECTIVE: - To provide a review of the history, current state, and basic principles of CPT coding, in particular as it applies to the practice of surgical pathology, and to present our experience with initiating a new system of pathologist involvement in the review and verification of CPT codes, including the most common codes that require modification in our practice at the time of sign-out or post-sign-out auditing...
March 27, 2018: Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine