61624/26 and You!

Introduction Neurointerventional (NI) specialists are likely aware that two seemingly innocuous five-digit numbers—61 624 and 61 626—have outsized importance in our professional lives as they represent ‘transcatheter or percutaneous permanent occlusion or embolization of intra- and extra-Central Nervous System’ in the Current Procedural Technology (CPT) coding structure. Recently, 61624/26 have been flagged for reconstitution and revaluation. The goal of this note is to familiarize NI practitioners with why this revaluation is occurring and describe a survey that NI specialists might be asked to participate in. Selected history Medicare was founded in 1965 with former president Harry Truman receiving the first card denoting his participation. In that year, the American Medical Association (AMA) identified the need for a common medical language and established the CPT system; the first CPT coding book was published in 1966 and focused on surgery. In 1970, the second edition was published and included the five-digit...

Source: Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery - October 12, 2023 Category: Neurosurgery Authors: Hirsch, J. A., Milburn, J. M., Woo, H., Chen, M., Chen, M. M., Mocco, J. Tags: Editor ' s column Source Type: research