tci Part B Insider - 2008 Issue 4

COLONOSCOPIES: Once a Screening, Always a Screening, CMS Says

Your colonoscopy procedure code may change, but the dx won-t CMS has clarified that if a physician finds a polyp or other abnormality during a screening colonoscopy, you should nevertheless cite the screening V-code diagnosis as primary. In fact, even if the physician removes the polyp, the exam remains a -screening- under ICD-9 guidelines. -This new CMS directive is a relief,- says Heather Corcoran, coding manager at CGH Billing in Louisville, Ky. -The issue of how to report a -screening-turned-diagnostic- has confused a lot of practices, so a clarification was badly needed.- For Medicare patients, you should...

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