The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) announced it has “successfully petitioned” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for changes involving injectable immunotherapies.
In a March 21 news announcement, NHIA said the changes are “to secure a new billing code for injectable immunotherapies and revise an existing code to facilitate administration of a wider range of monoclonal antibodies for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The request is part of a broader effort to modernize the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS code) set used by commercial health plans, including some Medicare Advantage and Medicaid programs, to reimburse for infusion services.”
NHIA said it “requested that the agency revise the existing code, S9562, from a drug-specific code to one that was therapy specific, thus allowing it to accommodate a growing number of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved injectable immunotherapies.”
Effective April 1, CMS included its final coding decisions in its Second Biannual HCPCS Coding Cycle.
CMS now has a new HCPCS Level II code S9563: “Home injectable therapy, immunotherapy, including administrative services, professional pharmacy services, care coordination, and all necessary supplies and equipment (drugs and nursing visits coded separately), per diem.”
CMS also revised HCPCS Level II code S9562: “Home injectable therapy, palivizumab, including administrative services, professional pharmacy services, care coordination, and all necessary supplies and equipment (drugs and nursing visits coded separately), per diem” to read “Home injectable therapy, palivizumab or other monoclonal antibody for RSV, including administrative services, professional pharmacy services, care coordination, and all necessary supplies and equipment (drugs and nursing visits coded separately), per diem.”
In its news announcement, NHIA said the association “was instrumental in creating the home infusion S-codes, which became effective in 2002, to standardize billing practices for home and alternate site infusion when there was only one approved injectable immunotherapy administered in the home. Since then, the number of injected immunotherapies has grown substantially. Without a code to use for newly approved therapies, providers use “not otherwise classified, NOC codes.” Thus, as the volume of FDA approvals for injectable and infused drug therapies has increased, use of NOC codes has increased exponentially, which has several disadvantages for both providers and payors. Modernizing the code set to include new drug therapies will allow providers to contract appropriately for injectable immunotherapies based on their level of complexity.”
NHIA President/CEO Connie Sullivan said, “NHIA appreciates that CMS is acknowledging the broader range of medications being administered in the home setting by creating this new code. Payors and providers should work to incorporate these changes into their home and alternate site infusion contracts.”
Bill Noyes, NHIA’s Senior Vice President of Reimbursement Policy, added in the announcement, “The association plans to submit additional code requests in the future to ensure that coding and claims practices accurately reflect the services delivered by home and alternate site infusion providers.”
