As the New Year 2021 begins and the holiday season is over, you must get back to the old routine of your life with new changes. Now that the Christmas season and holidays are over, the New Year 2021 brings a lot of new changes as well. One of these changes is the new medical coding changes. The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently published new changes in medical coding for the year 2021. Any medical practice should be well aware of these changes and ready to respond and adjust accordingly.
New Medical Coding Changes for the Year 2020
The most recent changes are mainly related to the updates to current procedural terminology (CPT) codes that were not available in the previous years are now available for the year 2021. In total, there are more than 300 coding changes; including new codes, coding removals and 75 coding revisions of existing codes. These changes will take effect from the first day of the year 2021. Therefore, these coding changes must be updated and ready for use by January 1st, 2021 for all medical practice.
The new changes in the CPT code for 2021 are far-reaching for medical coding experts. Many of these new medical codes offer doctors more convenience such as they can have more options to bill virtually or for remote visits. e-visits and telemedicine are both becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, these new codes are being developed to make it convenient for doctors and medical facilities to provide these services so that even minor illnesses do not become into urgent emergency room visits.
Other new medical codes facilitate patient billing for remote monitoring of the patient. Patient monitoring has proven useful in complying with medical and guidelines, and may even help to identify signs of medical problems in vulnerable populations. Hospital admissions and emergency room visits are significantly reduced when patients are remotely monitored, especially for elderly patients. Providers report an average of 25% hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room when patient remote monitoring is performed. The latest additions to the CPT code can support multiple medical billing options for patient care and remote patient monitoring. As the new coding changes continue to shape the development of the healthcare industry, the new coding must keep up with the improvements to support better and more effective patient care.
New Changed Medical Codes
New CPT codes are introduced to meet with the requirements of digital medical devices, remote medical software tools, and patient portal. Six additional new codes are added specifically for telemedicine and online patient visits for minor illnesses and injuries. New CPT codes for remote patient monitoring include home blood pressure monitoring done by family members.
There are New CPT codes for behavioral and intervention assessments and services. These new codes will replace six old codes as they are intended to reflect changes in the industry and enable better care continuum. These new codes should enable better communication between primary care providers and treatment and intervention brands. There are new 6 CPT codes for cardiovascular services and healthcare; which are aimed at the care processes in the pericardium area. These codes vary depending on the type of medical procedure and the age of the patient. Changes in the medical coding of long-term EEG monitoring are that 4 old codes have been removed and 23 new codes were added to reflect the increasing use of this technology.
The complete list of coding changes is available at the American Medical Association website.
By learning what to expect in 2021, you can be prepared for the next coding changes and increase the efficiency and cash flow of your practice.
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