In January, I wrote about the perfect storm that led to the release of the 2014 OPPS final rule.
We endured a later-than-usual release, errors in the data files and a release of updated files, a government shutdown, and a vastly shortened window between the release of the final rule and implementation on January 1. Judging by the confusion among providers?and corrections and clarifications coming from CMS on what seems like a weekly basis on a wide range of issues?we're still not in the clear.
This week’s note is about coding, billing, and payment for skin substitute products. Click the link above for more information and an in-depth analysis.
CMS has finalized changes to packaged services and E/M CPT® codes for clinic visits with the much-anticipated November 27, 2013 release of the 2014 outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) final rule.
The January 2014 quarterly I/OCE update included nearly 400 new HCPCS Level II codes, but the most significant changes for providers may center on relatively few codes, as a result of modifications CMS made in the 2014 OPPS final rule.
CMS has been making it clear over the years that packaging would become a larger and larger part of OPPS, and in calendar year (CY) 2014 CMS made good on this.
