Family physicians, make note of a Medicare coding change: Effective Jan. 1, 2007, screening fecal occult blood tests must be billed with CPT code 82270.
Caution: Coding Change Ahead
By News Staff
At that time, the code currently used for billing this procedure, Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, or HCPCS, code G0107, will be retired.
Physicians should alert their billing staff to this coding change. According to a Medicare MedLearn Matters article, (PDF file: 2 pages / 115 KB. More about PDFs.) claims for fecal occult blood tests not submitted with the newly assigned CPT code 82270 will be returned to the physician unprocessed.
"This is a very common procedure used in family medicine offices to screen for colorectal cancer, and this change will no doubt cause some headaches for our members," said AAFP's Cynthia Hughes, C.P.C., coding and compliance specialist in the Practice Support Division. "Use of the correct code on Jan. 1 will help ensure timely reimbursement," she said.
Physicians should alert their billing staff to this coding change. According to a Medicare MedLearn Matters article, (PDF file: 2 pages / 115 KB. More about PDFs.) claims for fecal occult blood tests not submitted with the newly assigned CPT code 82270 will be returned to the physician unprocessed.
"This is a very common procedure used in family medicine offices to screen for colorectal cancer, and this change will no doubt cause some headaches for our members," said AAFP's Cynthia Hughes, C.P.C., coding and compliance specialist in the Practice Support Division. "Use of the correct code on Jan. 1 will help ensure timely reimbursement," she said.
