SUPERSEDED LCD Reference Article Billing and Coding Article

Billing and Coding: Cerumen (Earwax) Removal

A56454

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Draft Articles are works in progress and not necessarily a reflection of the current billing and coding practices. Revisions to codes are carefully and thoroughly reviewed and are not intended to change the original intent of the LCD.
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Document Note

Note History

Contractor Information

Article Information

General Information

Source Article ID
N/A
Article ID
A56454
Original ICD-9 Article ID
Not Applicable
Article Title
Billing and Coding: Cerumen (Earwax) Removal
Article Type
Billing and Coding
Original Effective Date
01/01/2016
Revision Effective Date
11/16/2023
Revision Ending Date
01/31/2024
Retirement Date
N/A

CPT codes, descriptions, and other data only are copyright 2023 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. Applicable FARS/HHSARS apply.

Fee schedules, relative value units, conversion factors and/or related components are not assigned by the AMA, are not part of CPT, and the AMA is not recommending their use. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services. The AMA assumes no liability for data contained or not contained herein.

Current Dental Terminology © 2023 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2024, the American Hospital Association, Chicago, Illinois. Reproduced with permission. No portion of the AHA copyrighted materials contained within this publication may be copied without the express written consent of the AHA. AHA copyrighted materials including the UB‐04 codes and descriptions may not be removed, copied, or utilized within any software, product, service, solution, or derivative work without the written consent of the AHA. If an entity wishes to utilize any AHA materials, please contact the AHA at 312‐893‐6816.

Making copies or utilizing the content of the UB‐04 Manual, including the codes and/or descriptions, for internal purposes, resale and/or to be used in any product or publication; creating any modified or derivative work of the UB‐04 Manual and/or codes and descriptions; and/or making any commercial use of UB‐04 Manual or any portion thereof, including the codes and/or descriptions, is only authorized with an express license from the American Hospital Association. The American Hospital Association (the "AHA") has not reviewed, and is not responsible for, the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this material, nor was the AHA or any of its affiliates, involved in the preparation of this material, or the analysis of information provided in the material. The views and/or positions presented in the material do not necessarily represent the views of the AHA. CMS and its products and services are not endorsed by the AHA or any of its affiliates.

CMS National Coverage Policy

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Article Guidance

Article Text

This article gives guidance for billing, coding, and other guidelines in relation to local coverage policy L33945-Cerumen (Earwax) Removal.

 

General Guidelines for Claims submitted to Part A or Part B MAC:

Procedure codes may be subject to National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits or OPPS packaging edits. Refer to NCCI and OPPS requirements prior to billing Medicare. For services requiring a referring/ordering physician, the name and NPI of the referring/ordering physician must be reported on the claim. A claim submitted without a valid ICD-10-CM diagnosis code will be returned to the provider as an incomplete claim under Section 1833(e) of the Social Security Act. The diagnosis code(s) must best describe the patient's condition for which the service was performed. For diagnostic tests, report the result of the test if known; otherwise the symptoms prompting the performance of the test should be reported.

 

Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) Modifier Guidelines

An ABN may be used for services which are likely to be non-covered, whether for medical necessity or for other reasons. Refer to CMS Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 30, for complete instructions.

Effective from April 1, 2010, non-covered services should be billed with modifier –GA, -GX, -GY, or –GZ, as appropriate.

The –GA modifier (“Waiver of Liability Statement Issued as Required by Payer Policy”) should be used when physicians, practitioners, or suppliers want to indicate that they anticipate that Medicare will deny a specific service as not reasonable and necessary and they do have an ABN signed by the beneficiary on file. Modifier GA applies only when services will be denied under reasonable and necessary provisions, sections 1862(a)(1), 1862(a)(9), 1879(e), or 1879(g) of the Social Security Act. Effective April 1, 2010, Part A MAC systems will automatically deny services billed with modifier GA. An ABN, Form CMS-R-131, should be signed by the beneficiary to indicate that ‎he/she accepts responsibility for payment.‎ The -GA modifier may also be used on assigned claims when a patient refuses to sign the ABN and the latter is properly witnessed. For claims submitted to the Part A MAC, occurrence code 32 and the date of the ABN is required.

 

Modifier GX (“Notice of Liability Issued, Voluntary Under Payer Policy”) should be used when the beneficiary has signed an ABN, and a denial is anticipated based on provisions other than medical necessity, such as statutory exclusions of coverage or technical issues. An ABN is not required for these denials, but if non-covered services are reported with modifier GX, will automatically be denied services.

 

The –GZ modifier should be used when physicians, practitioners, or suppliers want to indicate that they expect that Medicare will deny an item or service as not reasonable and necessary and they have not had an ABN signed by the beneficiary. ‎If the service is statutorily non-covered, or without a benefit category, submit the ‎appropriate CPT/HCPCS code with the -GY modifier. An ABN is not required for these denials, and the limitation of liability does not apply for beneficiaries. Services with modifier GY will automatically deny.

Documentation Requirements

The patient’s medical record should include but is not limited to:

  • The assessment of the patient by the ordering provider as it relates to the complaint of the patient for that visit,
  • Relevant medical history
  • Results of pertinent tests/procedures
  • Signed and dated office visit record/operative report (Please note that all services ordered or rendered to Medicare beneficiaries must be signed.)

Response To Comments

Number Comment Response
1
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Coding Information

Bill Type Codes

Code Description

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Revenue Codes

Code Description

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CPT/HCPCS Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

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Group 1 Paragraph

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Group 1 Codes

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ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

(3 Codes)
Group 1 Paragraph

It is the responsibility of the provider to code to the highest level specified in the ICD-10-CM (e.g., to the fourth or fifth digit). The correct use of an ICD-10-CM code listed below does not assure coverage of a service. The service must be reasonable and necessary in the specific case and must meet the criteria specified in this determination.

Group 1 Codes
Code Description
H61.21 Impacted cerumen, right ear
H61.22 Impacted cerumen, left ear
H61.23 Impacted cerumen, bilateral
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ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

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Group 1 Codes

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ICD-10-PCS Codes

Group 1

Group 1 Paragraph

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Group 1 Codes

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Additional ICD-10 Information

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Bill Type Codes

Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type. Complete absence of all Bill Types indicates that coverage is not influenced by Bill Type and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all claims.

Code Description

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Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination. Complete absence of all Revenue Codes indicates that coverage is not influenced by Revenue Code and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all Revenue Codes.

Revenue codes only apply to providers who bill these services to the Part A MAC. Revenue codes do not apply to physicians, other professionals and suppliers who bill these services to the carrier or Part B MAC.

Please note that not all revenue codes apply to every type of bill code. Providers are encouraged to refer to the FISS revenue code file for allowable bill types. Similarly, not all revenue codes apply to each CPT/HCPCS code. Providers are encouraged to refer to the FISS HCPCS file for allowable revenue codes.

Revenue codes 0470 and 0471 are to be billed with G0268 only.


Code Description

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Other Coding Information

Group 1

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Group 1 Codes

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Coding Table Information

Excluded CPT/HCPCS Codes - Table Format
Code Descriptor Generic Name Descriptor Brand Name Exclusion Effective Date Exclusion End Date Reason for Exclusion
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Non-Excluded CPT/HCPCS Ended Codes - Table Format
Code Descriptor Generic Name Descriptor Brand Name Exclusion Effective Date Exclusion End Date Reason for Exclusion
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Revision History Information

Revision History Date Revision History Number Revision History Explanation
11/16/2023 R6

Revision Effective: 11/16/2023

Revision Explanation: Updated LCD Reference Article section.

01/26/2023 R5

Revision Effective: 01/26/2023

Revision Explanation: Annual Review, no changes were made.

02/03/2022 R4

Revision Effective: 02/03/2022

Revision Explanation: Annual Review, no changes were made.

02/04/2021 R3

Revision Effective: 02/04/2021

Revision Explanation: Annual Review, no changes were made.

09/19/2019 R2

Revision Effective: N/A

Revision Explanation: Annual Review, no changes made.

09/19/2019 R1

R1

Revision Effective: 09/19/2019

Revision Explanation: Converted article into new Billing and Coding template no other changes made.

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Associated Documents

Medicare BPM Ch 15.50.2 SAD Determinations
Medicare BPM Ch 15.50.2
Related Local Coverage Documents
LCDs
L33945 - Cerumen (Earwax) Removal
Related National Coverage Documents
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SAD Process URL 1
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SAD Process URL 2
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Statutory Requirements URLs
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Rules and Regulations URLs
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CMS Manual Explanations URLs
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Other URLs
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Public Versions
Updated On Effective Dates Status
01/25/2024 02/01/2024 - N/A Currently in Effect View
11/08/2023 11/16/2023 - 01/31/2024 Superseded You are here
01/20/2023 01/26/2023 - 11/15/2023 Superseded View
Some older versions have been archived. Please visit the MCD Archive Site to retrieve them.

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