CMS Announces New ICD-10-PCS Codes for COVID-19 Treatments, Effective Aug. 1
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented 12 new ICD-10-PCS codes to describe the introduction or infusion of therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19, including remdesivir and convalescent plasma, effective with discharges on or after August 1, 2020.
These codes can be reported to Medicare and other insurers may also use the codes to identify the use of COVID-19 therapies and help facilitate monitoring and data collection on their use.
These new codes are being implemented into the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS). ICD-10-PCS is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)–designated code set for reporting hospital inpatient procedures, which is developed and maintained by CMS and can be used by other health insurers.
“AHIMA appreciates the need for CMS to release 12 new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes for the treatment of COVID-19. With the pandemic impacting the health and wellbeing of Americans across the country, it’s vital to capture detailed health information about COVID-19 treatment. These codes will lead to expanded patient data that researchers can use to further understand the disease and identify which treatments lead to better patient outcomes and which do not,” said AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE. “As a data-centric organization, AHIMA recognizes the importance of capturing this information and we are grateful for all the healthcare professionals, scientists and researchers who are working tirelessly to combat COVID-19 and improve patient outcomes.”
Health information professionals who want to better understand ICD-10-CM/PCS coding for COVID-19, including the new ICD-10-PCS codes, can access a continually updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) compilation from AHIMA and the American Hospital Association here. The Code Tables, Index, and related Addenda files for the new codes are available on the CMS website.
Sue Bowman (sue.bowman@ahima.org) is senior director, coding policy and compliance at AHIMA.