Physical Therapy Industry Updates: Fall 2020

Returning CCI Edits—Effective October 1, 2021

Despite vocal opposition, the National Correct Coding Institute (NCCI) are reinstating, effective October 1, 2021, some of the code combinations which were recalled earlier this year. These code pair prohibitions include many common combinations for physical therapy, such as:

• 97530 with 97116
• 97530 with 97164
• 97161 with 97140
• 97162 with 97140
• 97163 with 97140
• 99281-99285 with 97161-97168
• 97110 with 97164
• 97112 with 97164
• 97113 with 97164
• 97116 with 97164
• 97140 with 97164
• 97150 with 97110
• 97150 with 97112
• 97150 with 97116
• 97150 with 97164

These combinations will require a 59 or applicable X modifier moving forward.

Autumn ICD-10 Codes

October is upon us, and that means that a new set of ICD-10 codes have been released and added to the official list.

Introducing 99072: COVID-19 Practice Expense

Last week, the AMA introduced a new CPT Code, 99072: Additional supplies, materials, and clinical staff time over and above those usually included in an office visit or other non-facility service(s), when performed during a Public Health Emergency as defined by law, due to respiratory-transmitted infectious disease.

According to the APTA, this code is available for immediate reporting, however, it is currently unclear whether the code will be payable under Medicare or any commercial insurances. But, as we all know, when it comes to documentation and coding, erring on the side of more complete and clear records is never a bad thing.

Fight the Cut

October 5th is the final date to submit comments to CMS regarding the proposed 9% cut to physical therapy payments which are currently scheduled to take effect in 2021.

Don’t forget to join the APTA in their virtual Fight The Cut rally to join forces with the physical therapy community and ensure our voices are heard.

Windows 7 Support Has Ended

Windows ended Support for Windows 7 in January 2020. As a result of this “end of life” for the software, the security of the operating system has been seriously degraded and the software is susceptible to serious security breaches. The best way to stay secure is to upgrade all Windows computers to Windows 10. Microsoft has offered Windows 10 deployment resources available on their website.

Learn more about Netsmart TheraOffice software system requirements here.