IN THE NEWS

The following article is from the AARC Times. The information is very current regarding the new CPT codes and is valid for all qualified non-physician healthcare professionals.

AARC representatives recently attended an American Medical Association CPT meeting where the 2006 CPT codebook was released and includes some codes of special interest to respiratory therapists. AARC Director of Government Affairs Cheryl West, and Board member Susan Rinaldo- Gallo attended the CPT conference in Seattle earlier this week. New codes in the patient education area may be useful for respiratory therapists providing patient education. Specifically the new codes are:

* 98960 Education and training for patient self- management by a qualified, nonphysician health care professional using a standardized curriculum, face-to- face with the patient (could include caregiver/family) each 30 minutes, individual patient.

* 98961 2-4 patients

* 98962 5-8 patients

"The purpose of these codes is to teach self- management of a patient's illness or disease, or delay disease comorbidity" said Rinaldo-Gallo after looking through the AMA's CPT 2006 manual and the CPT Changes, 2006, An Insider's View. "Asthma was an example given where patient education could be provided.

"The curriculum used in patient education must be recognized by a physician society or by a nonphysician healthcare professional society/association, such as the AARC. "The AARC, as a professional society with a history of approving and providing educational curricula may be able to provide assistance to respiratory therapists involved in these important activities," said West."These new codes have interesting potential for allowing reimbursement of patient education on self- management geared at improving quality of life through preventive care and lowering total healthcare costs as a result," said Rinaldo-Gallo, noting that these are areas where respiratory therapists excel.

It is unclear at this point exactly how the codes will be used and what the specific reimbursement will be, but the AARC will be represented in these future developments and will pass on pertinent information as soon as it is available. CPT® is Current Procedural Terminology, and was developed by the American Medical Association in 1966. Each year, an annual publication is prepared, that makes changes corresponding with significant updates in medical technology and practice and is used almost universally to code procedures for reimbursement by third party payers. Rinaldo-Gallo is the AARC's representative to the CPT/HCP Advisory Committee and ensures that the interests of respiratory therapists are communicated as new codes are developed.

© December 2005 AARC Times, a publication of the American Association for Respiratory Care