Wednesday, January 10, 2024

CMS Correct Coding Manual: Crickets for CY2024

Header: 2024 Correct Coding Manual is out; no changes for Pathology.

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In the last several years, there have been several annoying or confusing or maddening updates to the Correct Coding policy manual at CMS.   It's abruptly updated near the end of every year, with changes effective January 1.   Stakeholders complain the secretive and sudden updates risk errors and confusion.

All quiet on the Western front for January 1, 2024.   Here's the page for the correct coding manual and here's the page for the Pathology chapter.

Changes are highlighted in red and there are basically none except for minor editorial style changes.  There's nothing in the manual about the new comprehensive genomic profiling codes, although section F.5 continues last year's change noting that then-new codes (81449, 81451, 8145 describe "RNA analysis using a separate method."   There's no comment about the newest 2024 codes (for cfDNA, for MSI, for TMB, etc).

Note: There are separate enormous correct coding excel edit tables: I haven't checked those.