NDC Numbers

So, I just learned something today. About NDC numbers. 

When the NDC number from the label of our medication was not 11 digits, I would add a zero in front of the NDC number when I set up the codes in my system. Recently, I have been having issues with Blue Cross and the NDC for Avastin; they keep sending me rejections stating the NDC is not correct. I checked and double checked on the label of the bottle of medication in the doctor’s fridge that the NDC number I used was correct. A couple of LOOONNNG, irritating phone calls with Blue Cross and some judicious Googling later, I have found the answer. 

The zero does not always go in front of the number. Sometimes it goes in the middle of the number and sometimes it goes at the end-ish of the number. And yes, sometimes we have to add one in front. It depends on how the digits of the NDC number are grouped and where the dashes are placed. Here is the breakdown:

10-digit format:                              Add zero  

4 digits-4 digits-2 digits           1st position – Example: 01111-2222-33       Example: 1111-2222-33

5 digits-3 digits-2 digits           6th position – Example: 99999-0888-77  Example: 99999-888-77

5 digits-4 digits-1 digits            10th position – Example: 44444-5555-01  Example: 44444-5555-1 

Here is our real world example. My NDC number for Avastin is 50242-060-01. I had been sending it to Blue Cross with the zero in front. But the correct format is 50242006001. Please remember, most clearinghouses will reject an NDC number if you put the dashes in. I am refiling so, so, so many Avastins to Blue Cross now. Wish me luck. 

 

Blue Cross and Avastin injections

Edit: Final status update at the bottom of the article 10/07/15

I am always telling my doctors and employees that in our profession the rules change around here every 10 minutes. We have spent the last two weeks finding out again how true that is. One of the providers we bill for is an ophthalmologist and he does a lot of Avastin injections. Blue Cross has recently started denying the CPT code J9035. They still pay the 67028, but they are stating that the code J9035 is not indicated for ophthalmological services.

And, I have to say, they kind of have a point.

The CPT book description of J9035 says Injection, bevacizumab, 10 mg. That means is code is for the full 10 mg of meds, not up to 10 mg. For macular degeneration (362.52) and diabetes with ophthalmic manifestations (250.52, 362.07) the typical injection is 1.25 mg.

We’ve been in contact with the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives and they said that Blue Cross will not be accepting the J9035 from ophthalmologists any longer and that we have a few options.

1. Use the code C9257 which is injection, Bevacizumab, 0.25 mg and use 5 units of that.

2. Use the code J3590 which is just the unclassified biologics code, and then put the NDC in box 19. I know that most of you have practice management systems which puts the NDC number in the correct 5010 loop, but we were told that we also have to put that information in box 19.

3.  Use the RT/LT modifiers on both the 67028 and J9035 with the NDC number in box 19. This suggestion was made on the AAOE message boards by another biller and I have not been able to verify whether or not this will work.

The issue with the first two suggestions is that the reimbursement amount is going to be significantly less than we are used to getting and the issue with the third suggestion is that it may not work. Personally, I am going to try the J3590 code with the NDC in box 19 and see what happens. I’ll keep you guys updated.

Edit 08/24/15: Hello everyone. We are still fighting this with Blue Cross. What I ended up doing was submitting one service with the new J3590 code and one service with the J9035 RT. Both of those were pended requesting a detailed treatment plan. I finally managed to drag out of Blue Cross what THEY want in terms of a treatment plan. And here it is

1. Clinical indication

2. A stated goal for the patient in terms of his condition

3. They want to know if the treatment plan is having the desired affect

4. They also said that if we have attempted any alternative treatments, we should indicate if we are going to be utilizing those concurrently or if we are discontinuing those

They didn’t say this specifically, but I got the impression that they want to know when the patient will be all better and they will get to stop paying for this kind of thing. I told the woman I spoke with, that for patients with macular degeneration “getting better” isn’t really a thing. The point of the injections is to preserve what eyesight the patient still has. She said “then that’s what you probably want to say in your plan.”

If any of you are having trouble getting the Avastin paid by Blue Cross try sending in something like this with the office notes. I’ll continue to update you as I get more information.

Edit 10/07/15: Finally! We just got the answers on our test claims back. The charge with the J9035 – RT was denied. The charge for the J3590 was paid, albeit at an allowed amount of $47.50. Blue Cross used to pay about $60.00 for the J9035, so we are taking a bit of a cut. We are sending all our outstanding Avastin claims to Blue Cross with the J3590. Please remember to put the NDC number in the proper box when you use that code though. Please be aware, Medicare also has some new guidelines for the Avastin starting 10/01/15. Anyone having issues with the Avastin injections for Blue Cross, go ahead and email or call.

Timely filing limits

One of the things we try and do to make sure we receive maximum reimbursement is to make all of our reference material easily available, and update it often. Like you know, I have been doing this for over 10 years now, and I have a LOT of information in my head. But my head is also significantly slower to update than the insurance companies, so I make sure that I have lists and spreadsheets with anything that will help make follow up easier. What I tell my trainees is that the rules change around here every 10 minutes because we have to constantly update to changes the insurance companies and the AMA are throwing at us.

Recently, we went through and updated all of our timely filing information guidelines for the insurances we deal with most. Here is the list for you guys. If there is anything you want added to the list, just use your Excel or Open Office program and insert those lines. We also included the timely filing limits for appeals, to make this tool actually useful. For those of you using keywords to search, this list includes timely filing information for Blue Cross, Apple Care, Blue Shield, TriCare, Cigna, Health Net, Medicare, Medi-Cal, and a couple dozen others.

Please click here to view or download the Timely Filing Guide . I also added this to the reference page for you. Please remember, if you bookmark any page on this blog, that would be the best one.

Share this with your friends and call or email if you have any questions or want any one on one or office wide training. (909) 610-9524. As always, thanks for reading.