Oncology: Tips To Help Your Chemo Admin Coding

By Author: Angela Martin
Total Articles: 206
Comment this article

Spot on infusion coding starts by mastering the fundamentals. You must have documentation of the exact drug, amount given, route of administration and start/stop times at minimum to code right. Read on and find out why these four areas are so vital to your coding accuracy.

Simplify matching drug names to documentation

Each drug a patient gets may have multiple names, including a generic name and several brand names. Your documentation may cover any of these; as such, you have got to be on the ball to match the drug name to the right HCPCS code.

For accurate units, pull out the calculator

Spot-on drug coding does not end with determining which drug matches which code. You'll also have to report the right number of units based on the code descriptors, the amounts administered, and your payer's rules regarding rounding.

Do not skimp on route documentation

The documentation of the route adminstration is imperative to selecting the right CPT codes for the drug adminstration.
CPT's chemotherapy adminstration codes vary based on adminstration route.

Understand ...
... how time impacts coding

Many of the chemotherapy administration codes also specify that they encompass a specific time range. As a consequence, if your practice routinely rounds administration times, you are at risk of inaccurate coding.

For more oncology coding tips as well as hematology coding billing know how, sign up for an oncology audio conference. Even if you miss out on a scheduled conference, you can always fall back on CDs and PDF transcripts to run you through the entire event. You even stand to acquire CEUs on attending one.