What do I need to know? CPT

Today we will tackle Part II of the big question... What do I need to know?  We will start with the reference materials that will be utilized in the business.

First, we will cove rthe CPT.  Short for Current Procedural Terminology, it is an essential reference book.  The good news is that it covers most of the procedure codes that you will ever use for most billing.  The bad news is that a new one is published each year and they run close to $100.00 each (for the professional versions).  And before you ask, yes, you need a new to buy a one each year.  There are many changes, new codes, deleted codes, updated descriptions, and other changes that you need to be familiar with.  So, not only should you buy a new one yearly, but you also need to read it.  I have to tell you in advance, that it is a lot like reading Encyclopedia Brittanica.  It is, however, essential to what you will be doing.

The CPT book is  divided into two main sections; tabular and alphabetical.  So, if you know the name of the procedure you can find it in the alphabetical section (in the index), or if you know the code, but not the description, you can look it up in the tabular section.  The numerical section (tabular) is divided by body organs.  You can also look things up by that method. 

For the most part, the billing codes should be given to you by the medical professional that you are billing for, however you will need to be familiar with the codes for billing purposes.  If you are not familiar with the codes or the book, I would suggest that you contact a local physicians office and ask for a copy of an old, outdated book.  This can get you familiar with the layout of the book and the information, without paying out the money for a brand new copy.

So how many codes are in the CPT?  Well the last figure I heard was 28,000, but I am not sure if that is still accurate.  Suffice it to say there are a lot.  Do you need to memorize them?  No.  Just learn how to find them in the book.  The rest will come with practice.

So there you go.  Procedures in a nutshell.  There is a lot more to learn than this, but for an overview, I hope you get the picture.

Send me your questions.  I'll get them answered as soon as I can in a post.

Until next time,

Thanks,
Lori

http://www.sinclairinkspot.com/
Loretta Sinclair
Author, Medical Billing, Coding and Reimbursement
How to Run Your Own Home Medical Billing Service
Annotation Press, 2007, 2008
Available in print and on Kindle

Medical Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement
Supplemental Workbook
Sinclair Publications
copyright 2009

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