Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) has amended the Not-Otherwise-Classified (NOC) code set listing effective Mon Jan 16, 2012. Thus, it has been determined that anesthesia codes that include the phrase "not otherwise specified" in their code descriptors (procedure codes 00100 through 01996) do not meet the criteria of a non-specified procedure code and do not require a description to be supplied in the SV101-7/SV202-7 data elements. Anesthesia procedure code 01999, "Unlisted anesthesia procedure(s)" meets the requirements of a non-specified code and continues to require additional information to be supplied in the SV101-7 data element.
Additionally, various pathology and laboratory codes identified in procedure code section 8800 and a variety of other NOC codes have been removed. These codes do not meet the criteria of a non-specified procedure code and do not require a description to be supplied in the SV101-7/SV202-7 data elements. The majority of procedure codes impacted and removed from the NOC code list are anesthesia codes, laboratory/pathology codes, and Physicians Quality Reporting System codes. Medicare FFS's complete listing of the NOC codes can be found at http://www.CMS.gov/ElectronicBillingEDITrans/40_FFSEditing.asp. Medicare will be updating the code set, at minimum, on a quarterly basis (January, April, July, and October) as the NOC list is refined and the parent code sets are updated. Please check back to the website<http://www.cms.gov/ElectronicBillingEDITrans/40_FFSEditing.asp> frequently for the most updated list. For more information on Version 5010 and D.0, please visit http://www.CMS.gov/Versions5010andD0. ________________________________ Flu Season is Here! While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, flu activity usually peaks in January. Remind your patients that annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. Healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high risk patients, should get vaccinated too. Don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
