SCCM Resource Library-Critical Care Documentation and Billing Update: COVID-19 Pandemic

Pdf Summary

The document provides an overview of coding and billing updates specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, offering guidance from entities like the American Medical Association and CMS. It highlights significant changes in telemedicine practice, ICD-10 coding for COVID-19, and critical care services.<br /><br />Telemedicine has become crucial during the pandemic, allowing patient care while supporting social distancing. Under the new rules, providers can offer services regardless of the patient’s location, including emergency care and various therapies. CMS accelerates payments to providers meeting certain qualifications and temporarily waivers state license requirements for telemedicine.<br /><br />Key coding updates include the use of code U07.1 for confirmed COVID-19 cases, and guidelines when coding related symptoms or associated illnesses like ARDS or acute renal failure. Distinct codes are also specified for COVID-19 exposures and symptoms without confirmed diagnosis. For pregnant patients with COVID-19, specific coding prioritization is outlined.<br /><br />Critical care service codes have been emphasized, including emergency visits and intensive care. CMS permits virtual supervision of trainees, and allows physician assistants and nurse practitioners greater autonomy in caring for Medicare and Medicaid patients. Billing for procedures remains unchanged but requires proper ICD-10 codes and appropriate modifiers.<br /><br />The document advises providers to stay informed through their quality and compliance teams to ensure correct documentation and billing according to the temporary standards. The Society of Critical Care Medicine's COVID-19 Rapid Resource Center is recommended for further information.<br /><br />Finally, it advertises a self-directed echocardiography course offering continuing education credit, valuable for preparing for the Critical Care Echocardiography exam.

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Administration, Crisis Management, 2020, 00:03:51

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This article was originally published in the Summer 2020 Issue of Critical Connections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges. These challenges have been tempered to some extent by provisions made by the American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist with the billing and documentation burden. Their goals are to create temporary hospitals, facilitate out-of-state hiring of providers, increase access to telemedicine, increase availability of testing, and minimize paperwork. We discuss some of the key points about appropriateness of documentation and billing based on guidance provided by these organizations.

Critical Connections, the critical care industry's only newsmagazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team.
Piyush Mathur, MD, FCCM
David L. Carpenter, MAPS, PA-C, CPC, FCCM
David Jury MD, MS

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Administration

Knowledge Area Crisis Management

Knowledge Level Foundational

Knowledge Level Intermediate

Knowledge Level Advanced

Learning Pathway Billing and Documentation

Membership Level Select

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Associate

Tag Economics

Tag COVID-19

Year 2020

Keywords

Billing and Documentation

COVID-19

telemedicine

ICD-10 coding

critical care services

American Medical Association

CMS

U07.1 code

emergency care

billing updates

echocardiography course

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