Cognitive Communication Therapy CPT Code
If you work in a medical practice, then you understand the critical need to possess an intimate knowledge of CPT codes (current procedural terminology) so your claims are processed accurately. Accurate coding helps avoid time-consuming rejections and ensures your practice gets reimbursed accurately.
Cognitive communication therapy cpt code is utilized by speech-language pathologists to report services related to the evaluation and treatment of patients with cognitive communication disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and autism spectrum disorder. This includes both non-standardized tools used for assessment of cognitive communication abilities as well as standardized tests like Ross Information Processing Assessment or Arizona Battery for Communication Disorders of Dementia or Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies.
If a patient requires non-speech generating augmentative and alternative communication device for the initial hour, you should bill code 92605 (evaluation). Subsequent hours, use code 92507 to report speech, language, voice, and communication treatment including services to adapt or program the device.
Code 92609 can be used for billing in-person service for teaching the patient how to operate their device. This could be a one-time visit or ongoing, depending on the patient’s needs and your capacity to provide care in person.
ASHA recently issued a CPT code replacing CPT 97127, an untimed 15-minute time-based cognitive intervention code created in 2018. If you are currently billing both codes together, consult with your payer to determine if they can be billed together or if your system needs updating in order to accept both simultaneously.
When selecting an ICD-10-CM code for a patient’s cognitive deficit, the etiology must be taken into consideration as this will influence coverage guidelines. For instance, cognitive impairments caused by trauma to the brain (TBI) or stroke may not be covered under Medicare plans. Thus, SLPs should double check each claim with both their health plan medical policy and specific insurance plan to confirm both its underlying condition and coverage.
SLPs should always consult the patient’s medical record or referring physician for the appropriate ICD-10-CM diagnosis when diagnosing and treating cognitive impairments. For instance, if there is a history of epilepsy or brain cancer, SLPs may choose to report R48.8 (other symbolic dysfunctions) in order to document any cognitive or language issues caused by these underlying conditions.
SLPs may instead choose ICD-10-CM codes to accurately reflect a patient’s medical condition. For instance, if they discover that their patient has an inoperable brain tumor, SLPs might report ICD-10-CM codes 96.25 (neurovascular comorbidities), 95.10 (neurovascular alterations in mental status), or 96.11 (neurovascular diseases).
Finally, SLPs must also report the appropriate ICD-10-CM code for any neurological information to support a diagnosis, such as an MRI or CT scan. However, this can be a challenging task since many payers won’t cover diagnostic codes that don’t correspond with a patient’s medical diagnosis or lack sufficient neurological evidence to back them up.
