News: CMS releases FY 2021 ICD-10-PCS code set and official guidelines

CMS has released the fiscal year (FY) 2021 ICD-10-PCS code set and the FY 2021 ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting. The code set includes 544 new codes for fragmentations of the veins and arteries, drainages of the pelvic cavity, and imaging of various organs, Revenue Cycle Advisor reported.

The new ICD-10-PCS code set takes effect with discharges occurring from October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. This update increased the total number of ICD-10-PCS codes from 77,559 to 78,103.

The agency also updated the 2021 ICD-10-PCS Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting to include two new guidelines: B3.18 and B5.2b.

According to new guideline B3.18, if an excision or resection of a body part is followed by replacement procedure, code both procedures to identify each distinct objective. The only exception to this, according to the guideline update, is when the excision or resection is considered integral and preparatory for the replacement procedure.

New guideline B5.2b states that procedures performed using the percutaneous endoscopic approach, with an incision or extension of an incision to assist in the removal of all or a portion of a body part or to anastomose a tubular body part to complete the procedure, are coded to the approach value percutaneous endoscopic.

CDI specialists should look to the official guidelines for additional information on when and how to apply these changes.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Revenue Cycle Advisor.