New info on billing for psychological & neuropsychological assessment

In July 2018, APA began notifying members that significant changes were coming to the Medicine/Central Nervous System Assessments/Tests subsection of the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT^®) 2019 code set, otherwise referred to as the Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing Codes. This announcement was followed up by a one-hour webinar presented by Antonio Puente, PhD, Neil Pliskin, PhD, and Diane Pedulla, JD, on what the changes are all about, when and where more information will be released, and to give members a chance to talk to the experts about their concerns regarding the upcoming changes.

More recently, APA shared the modernized coding structure, which APA helped develop, that more accurately describes the work required when multiple hours of technical and professional services are performed. Please note that on Jan. 1, 2019, the following CPT codes used to report psychological and neuropsychological testing services will be eliminated: 96101, 96102, 96103, 96118, 96119 and 96120. To view APA’s newly developed crosswalks — charts designed to help you determine which CPT code to use for a particular service — visit the Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing Codes for Psychologists page. Given the complex changes to the testing code structure, we also released an Up To Code article providing guidance on how to use the new codes.

APA will hold several webinars this fall and again in 2019 to better prepare our members for the transition:

• Oct. 24: Antonio Puente, PhD, and Neil Pliskin, PhD, will discuss the specific testing codes and descriptions, and share practical examples. Register now.
• Dec. 5: Puente and Pliskin will discuss the new code values and payment structure as well as how to document your work. Registration for this webinar opens Nov. 1. 

Please visit the APA Practice Central website for the most up-to-date information on changes to the psychological and neuropsychological testing codes