Dear Patient,
The fall is flying by! I can’t believe 2021 will be here before we know it and like most of you, I am more than ready to put 2020 behind me! In preparation for the new year there are lots of upcoming coding changes as of January. Here are some of the highlights that will impact OMS offices:
In the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Chapter X of the CDT book, Current Dental Terminology 2021 ©️American Dental Association, there are four updates. If you do frenectomies in your office you will want to take note and make sure you inactivate D7960 as the code will be deleted from CDT as of January 2021. The ADA added two new codes to better describe the services and they are:
D7961 buccal/labial frenectomy (frenulectomy)
D7962 lingual frenectomy (frenulectomy)
Some other additions are for surgical placement of craniofacial and zygomatic implants. I know many of you have been looking for a separate code for these procedures for some time now:
D7993 surgical placement of craniofacial implant- extra oral
D7994 surgical placement: zygomatic implant
There are some changes as well to the coding of 2-D images (panoramic x-rays) if you are reporting for the capture only. Please be sure to also check out that section of the CDT 2021 book.
Two codes for COVID-19 related testing worth noting are:
D0604 antigen testing for a public health related pathogen, including coronavirus
D0605 antibody testing for a public health related pathogen, including coronavirus
Remember to update your software with the new codes, as well as your router slips and whatever “cheat sheet” you have in the office, so you are submitting the correct codes as of January 1st. Don’t forget to be on the lookout and/or reach out to your insurance carriers for the fees for these new codes also.
Next up, the major changes to the E&M coding for CPT, so stayed tuned for more details!
Until next time…Keep Calm and Code On!
TERRI
