2017

HomeWashington Letter2017 ▶ ATS Hosts Coding and Billing Educational Webinar for ATS members
ATS Hosts Coding and Billing Educational Webinar for ATS members

The ATS Clinical Practice Committee will host an educational webinar for ATS members to share recent changes impacting pulmonary, critical care and sleep providers.  The webinar will be held at 4:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. 

The webinar is free for ATS members and their staff, but pre-registration is required.  To register, please go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5021135740470767619

The webinar will feature presentations on recent changes in:

  • pulmonary function test billing, and
  • reimbursement for central line placement.

Webinar participants will also be able to ask coding experts questions about billing and coding issues.

Pulmonary Stress Test Code 94620 Deleted – Replaced with New Codes 94617 & 94618
CPT code 94620 Pulmonary stress testing; simple (eg, 6-minute walk test, prolonged exercise test for bronchospasm with pre- and post-spirometry and oximetry) has been deleted and replaced by two new codes. CPT code 94617 Exercise test for bronchospasm, including pre- and post-spirometry, electrocardiographic recording(s), and pulse oximetry describes the procedure used to assess for exercise induced bronchospasm. CPT code 94618 Pulmonary stress testing (eg, 6-minute walk test), including measurement of heart rate, oximetry, and oxygen titration, when performed describes the typical simple pulmonary stress test. After Jan. 1, 2018, if CPT code 94620 is used, the claim will be denied. CPT code 94621 Cardiopulmonary exercise testing, including measurements of minute ventilation, CO2 production, O2 uptake, and electrocardiographic recordings has been reworded to describe the procedure of cardiopulmonary exercise testing more clearly. In addition to these changes, there are numerous parentheticals appended that list the CPT codes that may not be used in conjunction with 94617, 94618 and 94621. Please refer to the 2018 CPT manual for further information on these exclusions.

Last Reviewed: January 8, 2018