A question asked at the recent presentation.
Insurance companies use medical coding to identify and detail a medical procedure.
For example: if you are an Orthopaedic surgeon you will understand precisely what a Multiple arthroscopic operation on the knee (including meniscectomy, chondroplasty, drilling or microfracture) is.
That is an awful lot to put on an invoice every time!
The code W8500 will specifically identify the procedure.
Put this code on the invoice instead.
Where do you find a CCSD code?
Codes can be located on the CCSD website:
www.ccsd.org.uk
The Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group (CCSD) consists of representatives from the five major healthcare insurers.
The CCSD Group’s purpose is to maintain a common standard of procedure codes.
A CCSD code is imperative IF a surgical episode is required.
The patient will need to quote the code to his or her insurance company when pre-authorisation is being requested anyway.
What fee can I charge for each code?
However, be warned.
The example above of W8500 will be recognized but a CCSD code does not come with a suggested fee.
The rate for each code is up to the individual insurance company. You need to contact each insurance company to discover what fee they will pay for each.
When an invoice is sent to the insurance company, the code should appear on the invoice. It will reconcile to that expected by the insurance company.
If you do NOT use CCSD codes payment will be delayed if made at all!
BUT THE REALLY BAD NEWS IS????
Without a CCSD code, you will not be able to invoice electronically anyway!