Medicare will pay for a bone density test (DXA) as part of preventive screening every two years for women 65 or older and men 70 or older. How Much Does Medicare pay for bone density test? If you qualify, Original Medicare covers bone mass measurements at 100% of the Medicare -approved amount when you receive the service from a participating provider.
DEXA is basically short for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. There is a standardized system of classification for following medical procedures and providing services, which is maintained through certain designated codes; in other words Current Procedural Terminology or CPT. The CPT code for dexa scans is 77080.
ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes
A00.0 | B99.9 | 1. Certain infectious and parasitic dise ... |
C00.0 | D49.9 | 2. Neoplasms (C00-D49) |
D50.0 | D89.9 | 3. Diseases of the blood and blood-formi ... |
E00.0 | E89.89 | 4. Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic ... |
F01.50 | F99 | 5. Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopme ... |
Medicare will cover bone density scans for a person who meets certain medical requirements, such as osteoporosis risk factors. Identifying thinning bone or osteoporosis at early stages before a person breaks a bone can allow them to receive treatments that may help reduce the risk of broken bones.
(L34639) Bone Mass Measurement ICD-10 Codes That Support Medical Necessity and Covered by Medicare Program: Group 1 Paragraph: Note: ICD-10 codes must be coded to the highest level of specificity.
According to a Medicare National Coverage Determinations Coding Policy Manual and Change Report (ICD-10-CM), Z13. 820 Encounter for screening for osteoporosis is not covered by Medicare for a diagnostic lab testing service.
Encounter for screening for osteoporosis Z13. 820 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2022 edition of ICD-10-CM Z13. 820 became effective on October 1, 2021.
To make sure you meet the criteria to have your bone density test fully covered by Medicare, you doctor needs to provide documentation that you meet one of the following conditions: You require the test for a medical reason, such as high risk for osteoporosis, osteopenia, sudden pain, or an injury.
Bone mass measurements (also called bone density tests) can help determine if you need medical treatment for osteoporosis, a condition that can cause brittle bones in older adults. Medicare Part B covers bone mass measurement every two years if you are at risk for osteoporosis and have a referral from your provider.
Medicare will always deny Z13. 820 if it is the primary or only diagnosis code.
Z13. 820 Encounter for screening for osteoporosis - ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Codes.
Medical coders use ICD 10 code Z01. 820, for Screening of bone density for osteoporosis.
Group 1CodeDescription77080DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DXA), BONE DENSITY STUDY, 1 OR MORE SITES; AXIAL SKELETON (EG, HIPS, PELVIS, SPINE)77085DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DXA), BONE DENSITY STUDY, 1 OR MORE SITES; AXIAL SKELETON (EG, HIPS, PELVIS, SPINE), INCLUDING VERTEBRAL FRACTURE ASSESSMENT1 more row
Types of Bone Density Tests DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) measures the spine, hip, or total body. Doctors consider this test the most useful and reliable for checking bone density. QCT (quantitative computed tomography) usually measures the spine, but it can test other sites, too.
CPT/HCPCS Codes * Per CMS IOM Publication 100-04, Chapter 13, Section 140.1, CPT code 77080 or CPT code 77085 is covered when used to monitor FDA-approved osteoporosis drug therapy subject to the 2-year frequency standards described by CMS IOM Publication 100-02, Chapter 15, Section 80.5.
Effective for dates of service on and after January 1, 2015, contractors shall pay for bone mass procedure code 77085 (Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone density study, 1 or more sites, axial skeleton, (e.g., hips, pelvis, spine), including vertebral fracture assessment.)
Coding for this initial exam is unique to Medicare. Though the diagnosis code (ICD-10 code) for the exam is Z00. 00 (general physical exam), the CPT code for the visit is NOT the wellness-exam code range used by every other insurance plan (99381-99397). Instead, it is billed with a Medicare-only code, G0438.
The following HCPCS codes are used for DSMT: • G0108 - Diabetes outpatient self-management training services, individual, per 30. minutes.
Many medications available today can slow the rate of bone loss and, in some cases, even rebuild bone strength.
Postmenopausal women, men ages 70 and older, or those who recently suffered from a broken bone are advised to take a bone density test. Women are at high risk for osteoporosis. Bone loss is women is fastest during the first few years after menopause and continues into old age.
Osteoporosis is a medical condition characterized by architectural weakening in the bones and decreased bone mass. These changes make the bones more fragile and increase the risk of fractures, especially at the spine, hip, and wrist.
When you think of osteoporosis, you likely think of women. It is true that postmenopausal women are at highest risk for the condition. Once their bodies no longer produce premenopausal levels of estrogen, the protective benefits of the hormone on their bones go away.
Fortunately, Medicare feels that bone health is essential and can help you get excellent bone care, whether it be testing or treatment. There are about 10 million people in the United States alone with Osteoporosis and almost 34 million more with low bone mass.
Bone density testing is typically done in a clinical setting such as a hospital or an outpatient facility. After putting on a loose gown, youll be asked to lie on a padded platform. A suspended mechanical arm then passes over parts of your body, taking images of your skeleton.
Supplemental plans fill in the gaps by covering the 20% you would otherwise pay under Part B. By relieving you of this cost, you can worry less about bills and more about recovery. The best part about a supplement is that when Medicare approves a service, the supplement must authorize the service as well.
Medicare will cover DEXA bone mass measurement once every 2 years on a person who falls into 1 out of the 5 Following categories: 1. A woman who has been determined by her physician to be estrogen-deficient and at clinical risk for osteoporosis. 2.
DXA can also be used to measure peripheral sites, such as the wrist and finger. DXA generates 2 x-ray beams of different energy levels to scan the region of interest and measure the difference in attenuation as the low- and high-energy beams pass through the bone and soft tissue.
BCBSNC will provide coverage for Axial (Central) Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Studies when they are determined to be medically necessary because the medical criteria and guidelines shown below are met.
Medicare reimbursement for an initial bone mass measurement may be allowed only once, regardless of sites studied (e.g., if the spine and hip are studied, Procedure code 77080 should be billed only once).
If the payer does not pay for the screening then the patient should know this prior to the test. Findings during a screening are incidental to the expectation that the patient would be as healthy as they appear. Incidental findings are always secondary dx codes.
You may add 733.90 as a secondary diagnosis, but you cannot make it your primary diagnosis. "A screening code may be a first listed code if the reason for the visit is specifically the screening exam. It may also be used as an additional code if the screening is done during an office visit for other health problems.
You absolutely may not code the diagnosis as the first listed you must code screening first listed if the reason for the test was screening. The pate was asymptomatic if this was a screening and you cannot change the parameters of the reason for the test and "make the patient symptomatic" the findings were not expected and not wat was being investigated so the findings are incidental. I am sorry that the patient wil have to pay but they should have known that when they agreed to the screening.
Click to expand... Yes. You can code it with osteopenia.
Medicare will pay the osteopenia code, but if they didn't know she had osteopenia prior to the exam being done , and if the patient did not have any of the other qualifying circumstances, then putting 733.90 as the primary diagnosis is fraud. A screening exam must have the screening diagnosis as the primary diagnosis regardless of findings.