Each year, the AARC strives to update its coding guidelines for respiratory and pulmonary services and procedures. The January 1, 2002 guidelines are accessible on the AARC Website in the Resources/Professional Documents menu or the Advocacy/RT Federal Resources menu.
The most notable revisions for this year are in the areas of chronic management services that include complex care, principal care, and transitional care management services, remote physiologic and therapeutic monitoring services, and new CPT codes for pulmonary rehabilitation that replace G0424.
Development of these guidelines is time consuming and requires considerable work in reviewing updated rules initiated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the official codebook that contains rules and guidelines produced by the American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel.
This year you will find one distinction from past years. The guidelines are now only available to AARC members. As we review the AARC Website to increase the benefits afforded to our members, this is one step in the right direction.
Email newsroom@aarc.org with questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you.
Anne Marie Hummel is the AARC’s Associate Executive Director for Advocacy and Government Affairs where she brings her years of regulatory experience in the Federal Government to overseeing federal and state legislative and regulatory policies that impact the respiratory care profession. Check out AARC’s Advocacy menu on our website to learn more. Outside of work, Anne Marie loves interior design, tackling 1000-piece puzzles and spending time with her granddaughter.
