CMS revises the payment of travel allowances when billed on a per mileage basis using Health Care Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code P9603 and when billed on a flat-rate basis using HCPCS code P9604 for 2018.
The travel codes allow for payment either on a per mileage basis for code P9603 or on a flat rate per trip basis for P9604. Payment of the travel allowance is made only if a specimen collection fee is also payable. The travel allowance is intended to cover the estimated travel costs of collecting a specimen including the laboratory technician’s salary and travel expenses.
Under either method, when one trip is made for multiple specimen collections (for example, at a nursing home), the travel payment component is prorated based on the number of specimens collected on that trip, for both Medicare and non-Medicare patients, either at the time the claim is submitted by the laboratory or when the flat rate is set by the MAC.
The per mile travel allowance (P9603) is to be used in situations where the average trip to the patients’ homes is longer than 20 miles round trip, and is to be prorated in situations where specimens are drawn from non-Medicare patients in the same trip.
Please note: Your MAC has the discretion to choose either a mileage basis or a flat rate, and how to set each type of allowance. Many MACs established local policy to pay based on a flat rate basis only.
See Fee rates for P9603 and P9604