ACP American College of Physicians - Internal Medicine - Doctors for Adults

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Coding Frequently Asked Questions

Internists and their patients are likely to encounter problems in dealing with Medicare's myriad of rules and regulations. It is especially important that internists are able to select the procedure code that accurately indicates the service(s) that they provided and the diagnosis code(s) that indicates why they rendered the service(s). To be able to accomplish these tasks, internists need to understand both the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) coding systems. It is also essential that internists understand Medicare's billing rules and specific policies so that they can minimize the administrative burden faced by their practice and avoid scrutiny from government auditors.

The intent of this frequently asked questions webpage is to alert you to billing and coding issues that are important to internists. ACP identified these issues through trend analysis of questions from individual members. Internists will be more effective in dealing with Medicare and other third party payers if they understand these issues.

• CPT Coding
• ICD-9 Coding
• Medicare Claims Processing Topics
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• Coding FAQ's Published in the ACP Observer

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