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News Brief: Quarterly OPPS Update Brings Many Changes

The latest quarterly OPPS update contains many revisions that hospitals must incorporate in their charge masters and coding practices. The full 23-page list of changes is published in Transmittal A-01-73 dated June 1, 2001.  
 
Many of the changes went into effect July 1. Coding for radiological procedures is one area most affected by these latest revisions. CMS (formerly HCFA) revised APC 0283, now titled Computerized Axial Tomography with Contrast, and APC 0284, now titled Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Angiography with Contrast, to include only imaging procedures performed with contrast media. The changes to these APC titles went into effect July 1. In all, 71 radiology procedures that don't use contrast, or are performed initially without contrast, were switched from APC codes 0282, 0283 and 0284 to six newly created ones.
 
In another big change, 51 HCPCS codes were removed from the "inpatient only" list and placed under the OPPS. These codes have been reassigned to new status indicators and in some instances have been assigned to new APCs.
 
Other changes in the update include:


New positron emission tomography (PET) codes created earlier this year that must now be reported under the OPPS
 

Status indicator changes
 

Short descriptor changes
 

Updates in the list of pass-through drugs and biologicals
 

New pass-through device category C codes
 

Limiting the beneficiary's total coinsurance liability  for a drug or biological to the amount of the inpatient hospital deductible for a calendar year.
 
APC Alert will be reporting on these changes and how they affect reporting services in the coming months. To review Transmittal A-01-73 in its entirety, go to .

- Published on 2001-08-01