Respiratory Question for the Week of February 26, 2018

Question:

I believe that the code provided in the answer to the February 19 question about the Medicare payment for venipuncture is incorrect. Can you please check this and confirm?

Answer:

You are correct, the code is not 36416; it should have been 36415. (Thank you for letting us know!) The answer should read as follows:

For 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have again assigned 36415 (collection of venous blood by venipuncture) to status indicator “Q4,” which means it will be conditionally packaged if billed on the same claim as a HCPCS code assigned a published status indicator “J1,” “J2,” “S,” “T,” “V,” “Q1,” “Q2,” or “Q3.” In other circumstances, payment will be made under the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS).

This question was answered in the 2018 edition of our Coding Essentials for RT/Pulmonary Function. For more hot topics relating to respiratory therapy services, please view our store, or call us at 1.800.252.1578 ext. 2.