CMS Develops specific billing code for coronavirus test
U.S. public health officials are preparing for a possible outbreak of pneumonia-like respiratory disease caused by novel Coronavirus 2019, which originated in China in December and infected more than 80,000 people, the vast majority in China. Other countries like Iran, Singapore, Italy and most recently the Caribbean and the United States all together have around 2,000 confirmed cases.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has developed a new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code for providers to bill the lab test of the coronavirus.
The HCPCS code enables labs to bill for the specific test instead of using an unspecified code for Part A & B billing.
Healthcare providers who need to test patients for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019 Novel Coronavirus Real Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Test Panel may bill for that test using the newly created HCPCS code (U0001).
The Medicare claims processing system will be able to accept this code on April 1 for dates of service on or after February 4. HCPCS is a standardized coding system that Medicare and other health insurers use to submit claims for services provided to patients.
Why is this important?
Having a specific code allows for better tracking of the public health response for this particular strain of the coronavirus to help protect people from the spread of this infectious disease, CMS said.
How Inmedita can help?
Our Practice Management System SecureClaim, has been designed to streamline day-to-day tasks within a medical practice and handle the backend tasks including insurance claims statements, appointment schedule, billing information, and more. This frees up time to focus on patient health, which may improve patient outcomes.
Our SecureClaim system is already updated with this code for Part A & B billing and your facility can start using it. If you need assistance, please contact us at 787-783-3233.
