Reporting Mental Health in Drug Screening.
Major changes have occurred in mental health coding and drug screen services.The evolving public awareness of mental health, parity laws, revisions to CDC guidelines, and HCPCS Level II dual coding for drug screen services prompted more changes in 2017.
In 2013, CPT(R) created separate reporting guidelines for physicians and other mental health clinicians.
CPT(R) instructed physicians to report medication management through evaluation and management (E/M) codes (99201-99499), with psychotherapy reported as an add-on code,
because physicians focus on the medication management of the patient, with referrals to therapists and psychologists. For clinicians practicing only psychotherapy, CPT(R) created new psychotherapy codes. This prompted the creation of new guidelines, new definitions, and clarification on time reporting. Time-based psychotherapy codes began to adopt the Time Rule, which can be found in the introduction section of the CPT(R) codebook.
In 2015, CPT(R) changed drug screening services to define them as either presumptive or definitive. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) still required providers to use an appropriate HCPCS Level II code, which CMS subsequently updated in 2016.
HCPCS Level II codes adopted by CMS in 2016 for presumptive drug screen services became popular among coders and payers, forcing CPT(R) to adopt these code definitions in 2017. With the adoption of the new CPT(R) codes, CMS deleted the dual coding methodology for presumptive drug screen services in the HCPCS Level II codebook, creating a uniformed coding system for presumptive drug screen services.
The new CPT(R) codes are:
- 80305Drug test(s), presumptive, any number of drug classes, any number of devices or procedures (eg, immunoassay); capable of being read by direct optical observation only (eg, dipsticks, cups, cards, cartridges) includes sample validation when performed, per date of service [The old code was G0477.]
- 80306 read by instrument assisted direct optical observation only (eg, dipsticks, cups, cards, cartridges) includes sample validation when performed, per date of service [The old code was G0478.]
- 80307Drug test(s), presumptive, any number of drug classes, any number of devices or procedures, by instrument chemistry analyzers (eg, utilizing immunoassay [eg, EIA, ELISA, EMIT, FPIA, IA, KIMS, RIA]), chromatography (eg, GC, HPLC), and mass spectrometry either with or without chromatography, (eg, DART, DESI, GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, LDTD, MALDI, TOF) includes sample validation when performed per date of service [The old code was G0479.]
Presumptive drug screening services may be performed prior to definitive drug screen testing when a provider wants to:
- Rule out illicit drug uses;
- Confirm the presence of a particular drug class without identifying individual drugs; or
- Distinguish between structural isomers.
For example, a patient using prescription opioids for pain management may receive a randomized drug screen service to test for the presence of opioids and illicit drugs, or other prescription drugs that may cause risk to the patient when on opioids. One such risky combination, per a CDC warning, is the use of benzodiazepines with opioids.
According to CPT(R) guidelines, sample validation in each of the codes ?may include, but are not limited to, pH, specific gravity, and nitrite.? These sample validation tests are included in the drug screen services, so urinalysis, immunoassay tests, and other lab tests bundle into these codes, by definition. It is not appropriate to use modifiers 59 Distinct procedural service, XE Separate encounter, XP Separate practitioner, XS Separate structure, or XU Unusual non-overlapping service to override the bundling combination. Chapter 10 of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) Policy Manual confirms providers should not separately report the validity testing (p. X-7).
CPT(R) also limits each of these codes to one unit per billing. Because CPT(R) is adopting the CMS model, CMS advises providers to report these codes for presumptive drug screening services, and is including these codes in the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule.
Because substance abuse requires mental health intervention, it?s important to address mental health changes, as well.
When the original psychotherapy codes were created in 2015, the term ?with patient and/or family? was included in psychotherapy codes 90832-90838. This caused confusion, and may have caused coders and providers to use these codes erroneously for family psychotherapy (which should be reported with 90846-90847).
To correct this, CPT(R) has removed this terminology from the codes and clarified the guidelines. The guidelines now state:
Codes 90832, 90833, 90834, 90836, 90837, 90838 describe psychotherapy for the individual patient, although times are for face-to-face services with patient and may include informant(s). See codes 90846, 90847 when utilizing family psychotherapy techniques, such as focusing on family dynamics.
This clarification instructs us not to use the individual psychotherapy codes for family psychotherapy, and directs us to the correct code. Doing so ensures 90832-90838 remain as individual psychotherapy codes that may involve an informant(s) to help the clinician better treat the individual patient and their individual needs.
In making these changes and to provide consistency, CPT(R) made psychotherapy codes 90846 and 90847 time-based, 50-minute codes. Coders are further advised not to report family psychotherapy services less than 26 minutes in length.
Auditors and payers will also be looking at coding based on time:
- Did the documentation support the time spent performing the services?
- Did the physician use time for both the E/M and the psychotherapy for the same encounter, against coding guidelines?
- Did the clinician actually perform psychotherapy, or was only medication management performed?
- Did the service meet the time criteria for the psychotherapy services?
Regarding drug screen services: Auditors and investigators look for orders, lab results, medical necessity, frequency, and custom panels. All lab studies require orders, results, and medical necessity. Frequency is important, particularly with drug screen services for an individual who is compliant with medication regimen and no risk of illicit drug use, for example. Custom panels do not provide convincing evidence of medical necessity because the ordering provider determines what tests are required. The lab should not bill for services not ordered and not deemed medically necessary.