The American Society of Anesthesiologists has received questions regarding changes in reporting anesthesia services following the implementation of 5010 transaction code set standards, according to an ASA release.
According to the report, anesthesiologists are concerned about the information necessary to report anesthesia services. Providers may misinterpret the standards by believing the anesthesiologists are required to provide the surgical code in addition to the anesthesia code on claims. The ASA has confirmed with the X12 Standards Organization, which develops the standards for the transaction code sets, that no such requirement exists. Anesthesiologists may submit surgical codes if they choose but do not have to.
The ASA also clarified that anesthesia codes are constructed differently from surgical codes, which may require additional information when physicians submit claims with codes containing "not elsewhere classified (NEC)" or "not otherwise specified (NOS)" in their descriptors. According to the report, many anesthetics are reported with NOS in their descriptors, and it is impractical for anesthesiologists to submit additional individual information each time they report an NOS anesthesia code.
The ASA says it will work with payors to clarify how NOS applies differently to anesthesia codes than to surgical codes.
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According to the report, anesthesiologists are concerned about the information necessary to report anesthesia services. Providers may misinterpret the standards by believing the anesthesiologists are required to provide the surgical code in addition to the anesthesia code on claims. The ASA has confirmed with the X12 Standards Organization, which develops the standards for the transaction code sets, that no such requirement exists. Anesthesiologists may submit surgical codes if they choose but do not have to.
The ASA also clarified that anesthesia codes are constructed differently from surgical codes, which may require additional information when physicians submit claims with codes containing "not elsewhere classified (NEC)" or "not otherwise specified (NOS)" in their descriptors. According to the report, many anesthetics are reported with NOS in their descriptors, and it is impractical for anesthesiologists to submit additional individual information each time they report an NOS anesthesia code.
The ASA says it will work with payors to clarify how NOS applies differently to anesthesia codes than to surgical codes.
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
OSI Systems Introduces Anesthesia Gas Monitoring Solution
Anesthesiologist Dr. Gary Fiskum Named University of Maryland Researcher of the Year
Michael Jackson's Physician Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter Over Propofol Overdose