Laboratory Question for the Week of September 4, 2017

Question:

Is it appropriate to bill for the thawing of fresh frozen plasma (FFP)?

Answer:

When a Medicare beneficiary receives a transfusion of frozen blood or a blood product that has been frozen and thawed before the transfusion, an OPPS provider may bill the specific HCPCS code that describes the frozen and thawed product, if a specific code exists, in addition to the CPT code for the transfusion, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual (Chapter 4, section 231.6 at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/clm104c04.pdf).

The MCPM entry continues, saying that if a specific HCPCS code for the frozen and thawed blood or blood product does not exist, then the OPPS provider should bill the appropriate HCPCS code for the blood product, along with CPT codes for freezing and/or thawing services that are not reflected in the blood product HCPCS code.