CPT

Code Changes

CPT Code Changes for 2008, article in Psychiatric News, Psychiatric News 2008 43: (2) 20.

APA Coding Network

The APA's Office of Healthcare Systems & Financing maintains a CPT coding network to answer members’ specific coding questions, and is actively involved in making sure that members are correctly reimbursed for the services they provide.  Because CPT questions are very specific and often very complex, a protocol has been established for queries to ensure that there will be no misunderstanding.

APA members with CPT coding questions should:

  • Write an e-mail or memo with their name, APA member number, city, state, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.
  • State the question or describe the problem thoroughly, but succinctly—a short paragraph is usually all that is necessary.Include any relevant correspondence from Medicare carriers, insurance companies, or third-party payers.
  • Cite any actions that have been taken relating to the problem, i.e., calls made, letters written.
  • E-mail (hsf@psych.org), fax (907-703-1089), or mail (Office of Healthcare Systems and Financing, APA, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, MS 1825, Arlington, VA, 22209) the question to the attention of Rebecca Yowell.

All questions will be answered as quickly as possible.

Courses/Workshops

APA Annual Meeting Course and Workshop – A CPT coding CME course as well as a CPT workshop are generally held each year at the APA Annual Meeting.   Dates and times for educational sessions at the 2008 APA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC are listed below.   

CME Course:
Current CPT Coding and Documentation Requirements, Chester Schmidt, M.D., and Tracy Gordy, M.D., Co-Directors

  • Monday, May 5 from 1:00 to 5:00 PM  (Location - Renaissance Washington, Renaissance Ballroom West B, Ballroom Level.  You must pre-register for this course.)

Workshops:
How to Launch a Successful Private Practice, Part 2 (Coding and Documentation), William Callahan, M.D., Chair, Tracy Gordy, M.D. and Chester Schmidt, Faculty

  • Tuesday, May 6 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Location - Washington Convention Center, Room 201 Level Two)

CPT Coding and Documentation Update, Ronald Burd, M.D., Chair, Committee on APA Committee on RBRVS, Codes and Reimbursements, Faculty

  • Wednesday, May 7 from 9:00 to 10:30 AM (Location - Washington Convention Center, Room 150B, Level One)


CPT® Handbook for Psychiatrists, Third Edition
Chester W. Schmidt, Jr., M.D., Rebecca K. Yowell, and Ellen Jaffe 

Handbook Contents:  Basics of CPT. Introduction to documentation. Codes and documentation for psychiatric services. Codes and documentation for other mental health services. Codes and documentation for evaluation and management services. Medicare. Health insurance issues. Putting it all together for accurate coding. Appendix A: The CPT coding system—how it came to be, how it changes. Appendix B: Modifiers. Appendix C: ECT information, consent form, and record template. Appendix D: Vignettes for evaluation and management codes. Appendix E: Documentation templates. Appendix F: Examples of relative value units (RVUs)(2004). Appendix G: National distribution of evaluation and management code selection by psychiatrists. Appendix H: American Psychiatric Association CPT coding service and additional resources. Appendix I: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regional offices (CMS). Appendix J: Medicare Part B carriers. Appendix K: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Appendix L: CPT psychiatric code matrix. References. Index.