The CPT 2015 contains revised as well as new codes for various interventional, diagnostic, nuclear medicine and radiation oncology procedures. Released by the American Medical Association, these code changes will go into effect from January 01, 2015.
There are 226 new codes, 147 deleted codes and 129 revised codes that fall under CPT 2015. A number of code-related proposals were made for the new code cycle by the American College of Radiology (ACR). ACR worked on these proposals either alone or in union with other medical specialty societies. The coders will again see changes in non-vascular and vascular interventional radiology. Some significant changes are also scheduled for radiation therapy and breast imaging.
Breast Imaging Codes
New codes have been introduced for breast tomosynthesis, whereas the existing code for breast ultrasound has been deleted. Two new codes have been introduced for complete and limited ultrasound.
Non-Vascular Interventional Radiology
Under joint procedures, new codes have been created for joint aspiration and / or injection to include ultrasound guidance.
Vascular Interventional Radiology
Radiology billing will get affected if the coders fail to understand the CPT 2015 changes. According to the ACR, bundling of many codes (as requested by the AMA Relativity Assessment Workgroup) will also have an adverse impact on radiology billing.
Radiologists across the US have been advised to review how the above-mentioned procedures are coded currently. They also need to anticipate how the new and bundled code changes impact the cash flow.
Many radiologists have started outsourcing their radiology medical billing services and coding process to outsourcing partners like MedicalBillersandCoders.com. MBC has an experienced team onboard who are well-trained in handling CPT code changes. Providers don’t have to worry about hiring or training their existing coders to overcome the potential coding and revenue challenges. By outsourcing their RCM to MBC, more numbers of radiologists across the US have been able to streamline their practice functionality and get their revenue cycle back on track.