Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Practice Exam

CPC Practice Exam and Study Guide Package

Practice Exam

What makes a good CPC Practice Exam? Questions and Answers with Full Rationale

CPC Exam Review Video

Laureen shows you her proprietary “Bubbling and Highlighting Technique”

Download your Free copy of my "Medical Coding From Home Ebook" at the top right corner of this page

Practice Exam

2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

[Announcement] NCCI Has Removed the Current Edit Prohibiting 77295 and 77300 from Being Reported Together

CMS and the NCCI has removed the current edit prohibiting the reporting of CPT codes 77295 and 77300 together, effective July 1, 2016. The change will be finalized in the July version of the NCCI Manual and will be retroactive to January 1, 2016. Reporting requirements may vary by payer:

Claims reported to Medicare contractors: 

Claims for CPT codes 77295 and 77300 should not be reported together until the edit is removed on July 1, 2016. Practice billing systems can begin capturing charges for 77300; however, the charges should not be released to Medicare until July 1, 2016. All prospective and retrospective pending charges for 77300 may be released on or after July 1, 2016.

    Claims reported to private payers:

    Depending on state guidelines and individual payer policies, some private payers may not permit claims to be submitted after a certain period of time has passed. Therefore, practices could consider submitting charges for 77300 to commercial payers prior to July 1, 2016. Refer to your payer’s individual reporting policies for guidance on when to submit claims for 77295 and 77300. 

       

      Click here to read the original article on the prohibition of reporting 77295 and 77300 together. 

      The Medical Management Institute – MMI – Medical Coding News & MMI Updates

      [Announcement] NCCI Will No Longer Allow 77300 and 77295 to be Reported Together

      The 2016 National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) Policy Manual for Medicare Services was released for services effective January 1, 2016. NCCI is a contractor for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that aims to prevent improper payment when incorrect code combinations are reported.

      Beginning January 1, 2016, NCCI will no longer allow the following CPT codes to be reported together:

      77300: Basic radiation dosimetry calculation, central axis depth dose calculation, TDF, NSD, gap calculation, off axis factor, tissue inhomogeneity factors, calculation of non-ionizing radiation surface and depth dose, as required during course of treatment, only when prescribed by the treating physician.
      77295: 3-dimensional radiotherapy plans, including dose-volume histograms.

       

      CMS has implemented an edit on these codes because the agency believes the work of 77300 is integral to the work of 77295, and therefore is not considered a separately reportable procedure. 

      The Medical Management Institute – MMI – Medical Coding News & MMI Updates

      [Announcement] Effective July 1st, 77295 and 77300 Can Be Reported Together

      In March 2016, CMS and the NCCI announced that they would remove the current edit prohibiting the reporting of CPT codes 77295 and 77300. The change will take effect today, July 1, 2016 (retroactive to January 1, 2016) and will be finalized in the July version of the NCCI Manual. Reporting requirements may vary by payer.

      Providers (hospitals, physicians and freestanding cancer centers) should continue to track and capture the supported work of code 77300 during the 3D planning process. When the transmittal is released, providers will be able to submit those charges, along with the retroactive charges, for payment and in accordance with documentation guidelines and published Medically Unlikely Edits (MUEs).

      Background: CMS originally implemented the prohibition of reporting these codes together (implemented January 1, 2016) because they believed the work of 77300 was integral to the work of 77295. Therefore, it should not be considered a separately reportable procedure. Opponents believed that this NCCI edit misinterpreted the work performed under these codes, resulting in unfair and significant payment cuts for radiation oncologists and facilities who were performing these critical procedures. This edit has since been removed (announced March 2016, effective July 1, 2016).

      The Codes in Question:

      77300: Basic radiation dosimetry calculation, central axis depth dose calculation, TDF, NSD, gap calculation, off axis factor, tissue inhomogeneity factors, calculation of non-ionizing radiation surface and depth dose, as required during course of treatment, only when prescribed by the treating physician.

      77295: 3-dimensional radiotherapy plans, including dose-volume histograms.

       

      The Medical Management Institute – MMI – Medical Coding News & MMI Updates