[Histonet] CPT for H&E

[Terri Braud]

Welcome the "big-wigs" to the wonderful world of AP backwards billing, the part of the lab where  the billing is done on the back end, by diagnosis and REPORTED stain interpretations.  
All H&Es are covered under the CPT code for the gross and microscopic for that specimen (which can also change depending on the diagnosis) REGARDLESS of the number of blocks submitted, or the number of H&Es stained.  Ain't that a kick in the pants?!?!?!  
The bottom line is that billed tests have very little to do with productivity or workload in the Histo lab, tsk, tsk! Especially if you have a pathologist that insists on putting 80 blocks in on a uterus, where others might make do with 6.
And that colon that was removed for diverticulitis that you just billed as a 88307???  Better make sure a tumor doesn't show up on the microscopic, because then you will be underbilling.
Find out that the pathologist didn't need that Mucin after all?  or worse, forgot to include the results in the final report?  Then you can't charge for it!
If its any consolation, cytology billing is much much worse!

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu]On Behalf Of Heckford,
Karen - SMMC-SF
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 1:27 PM
To: Histonet (E-mail)
Subject: [Histonet] CPT for H&E


Happy Monday,  The big wigs here have changed our productivity and the way
of calculating it on us.  I am trying to find procedures that are not
getting into the system.  We have the older Version of Powerpath.  I noticed
this morning that the H&E stains do not have a CPT code neither does H&E
levels of their own.. I am not sure but I thought that the H&E should have a
CPT code since we do this lab order on all of our tissue specimens or does
it fall on under the CPT for that particular specimen.  This should really
bring up our productivity if it is individual.  Please let me know how other
hospitals are doing this?
 
Cheers,  
Karen Heckford HT (ASCP) CE
Lead Histology Technician
Histology/Pathololgy Department
St. Mary's Medical Center
450 Stanyan St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94117
415-668-1000 ext. 6167
Fax: 415-750-8123
email: kheckfor <@t> chw.edu

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