Question: I heard that Medicare Noridian Jurisdiction F (Alaska) has been denying claims with M99.00, M99.01, M99.02, M99.03  etc codes  when billed with the CMT CPT codes. Did Medicare change their policy?

Answer: It is true that Noridian in Alaska began denying claims with these codes at the beginning of the year, but they have not changed their policy. They have since reversed their incorrect edit and according to Sheri Ryan at the Alaska Chiropractic Society, they are automatically reprocessing these claims. If you live in this area, give it up to 90 days and if you still have a problem contact their provider relations department.

This brings up an interesting point. Medicare has been moving away from including diagnosis codes in their LCDs and moving that information to Articles instead. This transitional phase may mean that your office may experience other problems like the one that happened in Alaska. In these types of situations, we recommend that you work with your state chiropractic association to resolve the issue.

You may also wish to review your local MAC's current LCDs and Articles. They can be found on the MAC website or listed with the CMT codes for those with a FindACode.com subscription.