Billing & Coding: Use New HCPCS Code U0001 to Bill Medicare for CDC Coronavirus Test
Good news for labs that are testing Medicare patients for SARS-CoV-2 using the newly approved Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2019 Real Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Test Panel (and physicians ordering the test). In billing for the test, you don’t have to list an unspecified code. Instead, you can use the new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code that CMS just created for labs and other providers to use in billing CDC tests for the virus, namely HCPCS code (U0001). The Medicare claims processing system will be capable of accepting the new U0001HCPCS code on April 1 for dates of service on or after Feb. 4, 2020, the date FDA issued emergency use authorization for the CDC coronavirus test.
Good news for labs that are testing Medicare patients for SARS-CoV-2 using the newly approved Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2019 Real Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Test Panel (and physicians ordering the test). In billing for the test, you don’t have to list an unspecified code. Instead, you can use the new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code that CMS just created for labs and other providers to use in billing CDC tests for the virus, namely HCPCS code (U0001).
The Medicare claims processing system will be capable of accepting the new U0001HCPCS code on April 1 for dates of service on or after Feb. 4, 2020, the date FDA issued emergency use authorization for the CDC coronavirus test.
Subscribe to view Essential
Start a Free Trial for immediate access to this article