The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will accept public input on requests to discontinue Level II Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes. Level II HCPCS codes were established as the standardized coding system to identify healthcare transactions not identified by Level I HCPCS/Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, and include orthotic and prosthetic devices and orthopedic footwear, among other things. CMS said it will publish summaries of internal requests to discontinue permanent Level II HCPCS codes by July 1, and accept written public comments until July 21. The CMS HCPCS workgroup will review the internal requests, together with the public comments, and include the final decision in the HCPCS Annual Update.
CMS said this “limited demonstration for web-based notice and comment mechanism…will add further transparency” to the HCPCS coding process by providing advance notice and an opportunity for public input about internal decisions to discontinue HCPCS codes. CMS will consider the results of the demonstration after the current 2014-2015 HCPCS coding cycle.
CMS noted in the announcement that it reserves the right to make immediate changes without notice, and take comments afterward, if it believes there is a national program operating need to do so.
For more information, read “Guidelines for Participation in CMS’ HCPCS Public Meetings,” found on the CMS website under HCPCS-General Information.
