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A Valuable Resource for Oncology Practices

2020 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates
Dawn Holcombe, MBA, FACMPE, ACHE
Editor-in-Chief
President, DGH Consulting, South Windsor, CT

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare delivery around the world, including the treatment of patients with cancer. As providers and administrators strive to create and implement new procedures to protect their staff and patients from the virus, it is equally important that they continue established protocols that are critical to the effective management of their practices during these unprecedented times. With this goal in mind, we are pleased to present this 2020 Oncology Drug Coding and Updates special feature, designed to provide you with important information on the topic of oncology drug coding and details on some of the newest drugs available to treat patients with cancer.

Accurate coding of services is essential to the financial stability of oncology medical practices and the effective care of patients. This requires careful collaboration and communication among team members to ensure appropriate documentation of the services that have been performed. Because the details and nuances of oncology coding change frequently, it is vital to have accurate information available to all members of the practice.

Valuable resources are expended every time members of an oncology practice interact with a patient (or act on behalf of a patient). These resources must be quantified in terms of time, products, information gathering, and services. Each patient encounter requires documentation that must be carefully processed and tracked. Oncology practices must provide details such as the type of care provided and the kinds of supplies used, so that payers can be confident that they are paying for actual services rendered. There are serious consequences related to inaccurate coding and documentation, including errors in the patient’s medical history (which can potentially endanger the patient) and failure to receive appropriate payment for services (which can affect the financial stability of the practice over time).

Proper drug documentation and coding are particularly critical in oncology because of the variability of vial sizes, dosages for patients, units of measurement (which may vary between administration and allowed billing units), manufacturers, and coverage. The clinical staff must understand the codes and their parameters to provide appropriate documentation for the medical record and to support the codes that are used to bill for the services.

We hope that you find this resource to be a valuable asset to your practice as you provide essential care to your patients.

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