Highlights of AHA’s Coding Clinic First Quarter 2024 Release for HCPCS

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The First Quarter 2024 issue of the AHA Coding Clinic for HCPCS newsletter was released March 13, 2024. Let’s explore some of the highlights!

The newsletter is 28 pages long and includes coding advice for 8 questions. It begins with an overview of changes to the CPT Nervous System surgery section and reviews the neurostimulator codes for the intracranial, spinal, and peripheral nervous system.  

• Three new codes in the Neurostimulators (Intracranial) subsection
• Two revised codes in the Neurostimulators (Spinal) subsection
• Two revised codes and three new codes in the Neurostimulators (Peripheral Nerve) subsection
• Four new Category III codes created for insertion, replacement, revision or removal of a percutaneous electrode array with integrated neurostimulator for the spinal and sacral areas, and two new codes for electronic analysis with simple or complex programming of the integrated neurostimulator system

The newsletter also reports 98 new, 44 deleted, and 39 revised HCPCS Level II codes. Finally, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Inpatient Only List (IPO) for CY2024 by adding 10 codes for procedures and services for which Medicare will only reimburse for the procedure or service when it’s performed in the inpatient setting.

Please refer to the CPT codebook for additional and in-depth reporting guidelines.  

The newsletter then addresses 8 specific questions about the application of CPT codes, including advice on reporting the application of a dermal substitute, insertion of cranial bone fiducials, and steroid injection for Dupuytren’s contracture.  

Finally, the AHA Central Office reminds readers that the decision to publish a particular question in the Coding Clinic for HCPCS newsletter is not at the sole discretion of the AHA. Only questions approved for publication by the Coding Clinic for HCPCS’ Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) will be published in Coding Clinic for HCPCS.  

As always, please read the First Quarter 2024 volume of AHA Coding Clinic for HCPCS entirely for the best source of medical coding information.