Difference between CPT Codes / HCPCS National Codes
Health Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) was established by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for the purpose of reporting medical procedure and services. HCPCS level II codes are alphanumeric medical procedure codes which are primarily for non-physical services such as transportation services i.e. ambulances, durable medical equipment, Chemotherapy drugs among others. They are composed of a single letter that range from A to V followed by four digits. Coders use HCPCS to represent medical procedure to Medicaid, Medicare and other third parties. …show more content…
All CPT codes are HCPCS codes and are at times referred to as the HCPCS level I codes but are created and maintained by the CPT editorial panel. The level I CPT codes are the standard five-digit codes that describe a medical procedure or service for example (single view chest- 71010). For a code to be accepted as a CPT level I, it has to be accepted first widely in the medical community.
Another difference between HCPCS and CPT is that of the level of use. For example, when HCPCS and CPT codes have the same definition, the coder must use the CPT codes, and if they are a medical procedure, the coder must use HCPCS codes as well as indicate the extent of the service