Originally posted to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Headlines e-mail list on October 26, 2005.
The 2006 American Medical Association (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set includes a number of important changes for audiologists and speech-language pathologists. These additions and revisions are the culmination of two years of work by the ASHA Health Care Economics Committee and ASHA's advisors to the AMA CPT Editorial Panel, Wayne Holland, and the AMA Relative Value Update Committee, Robert Fifer.
There are four new procedures for reporting auditory rehabilitation. The first two, 92626 and 92627, are for reporting "Evaluation of auditory rehabilitation status; first hour" and for "each additional 15 minutes." The other two codes are 92630 "Auditory rehabilitation; pre-lingual hearing loss" and 92633 "Auditory rehabilitation; post-lingual hearing loss."
The new codes created a need for revision of the descriptors of two long-standing codes: 92506 and 92507. Reference to aural rehabilitation in both of those procedures is deleted for 2006. CPT 92506 will read, "Evaluation of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing. "Treatment of speech, language, voice, communication, and/or auditory processing disorder; individual" will be the new 92507.
Another audiology code was revised for 2006. Audiologists had reported problems with 92568, "Acoustic reflex testing," and 92569, "Acoustic reflex decay." Third party payers denied reimbursement for 92569 stating that is was bundled in 92568. The payers were not persuaded that they were incorrect when contacted by the audiologists or ASHA. The 2006 CPT should resolve the payers' misinterpretation because of the new and more specific descriptor for 92568, "Acoustic reflex testing; threshold."
There is a change of note for speech-language pathologists who evaluate and treat patients with voice disorders. CPT 92520 will more specifically describe what is involved with laryngeal function studies. The descriptor for 2006 will read "Laryngeal function studies (i.e., aerodynamic testing and acoustic testing)." Please note the "i.e." is not an "e.g." so that 92520 is restricted to reporting either aerodynamic testing or acoustic testing.
CPT 2006 is available from the AMA and can be ordered from www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3116.html. The 2006 edition of ASHA's Coding and Claims Guide will reflect the changes. For further information, please contact Steven White, ASHA's Director of Health Care Economics and Advocacy, via e-mail at swhite@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4126.
Reprinted by permission of the American Speech-Lanuage-Hearing Association.
