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mardi 14 octobre 2014

The Complications Of Medical Billing Are Made Easier By The System Of Cpt Codes

By Patty Goff


There are so many complicated procedures in the medical field that it makes billing difficult. All the illnesses, procedures and medicines have complicated names. The individual who is qualified to work as a coder will have to be familiar with the Current Procedural Terminology or cpt codes to perform those duties.

There is a panel of experts overseeing the application of them called The CPT Editorial Panel. They perform under the directions of the AMA. The code is nd protected under the auspices of that organization.

The code facilitates clarity in communication from one medical department to another. It covers descriptions of diagnostic, surgical and medical care for coders. It identifies what service a patient is being billed for.

There are three types of CPT code, which differentiates between procedures. These are Category I, Category II and Category III. Some examples of the first category are outpatient care, Home health care and in-patient care in a retirement home.

There are specific ones for the administration of anesthesia. Each code refers to a body part or type of procedure. For example, upper or lower abdomen, radiological procedures and neck are each assigned their own code.

Individual numbers assigned to surgical services may include pelvic, reproductive system and auditory system. To make the billing very specific, a cochlear implant surgery is classified under auditory system. Billing is rendered less complicated when used in the bills sent out to the patient.

There are those for radiology, which include treatments of radiation oncology, mammograms and ultrasound tests. Pregnant women can be reassured that the baby is healthy. It is often possible to identify if the baby is a boy or girl.

Another category is pathology and laboratory. Drug testing, a simple urinalysis and various testing of the blood fall under this category. Transfusions are included. The postmortems, also known as autopsies, are classified here.

Under those identifying Medicine you will find vaccines, any immunization administration and kidney dialysis. The individual with advanced kidney disease will have to undergo dialysis on a regular basis to remain alive. Many of these patients are waiting for a kidney transplant.

This same classifications for medicine include psychiatry, special otorhinolaryngologic services and noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies. The otorhinolaryngologic specialist is also known as an ear, nose and throat man or woman.

They include a letter of the alphabet to indicate they belong in Category II. There will be four numbers and then a letter of the alphabet. There are eleven Category II codes that include diagnostic screenings, taking a patient history and physical examination.

Psychotherapy and other counseling services are in Category III. It does not include psychiatric counseling. Some of the numbers are retired when experts feel they are no longer needed. They are evaluated on a yearly basis.

It is true that CPT is a copyright protected registered trademark belonging to the American Medical Association. However, its use is not limited to that organization. It is used by other health care organizations. Some examples are the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and the Federal Register. Each pays a licensing fee to entitle them to utilize the code.




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