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2008 ICD-9-CM codes are effective for services performed on or after October 1, 2007. This means that:
Claims for dates of service on or after 10/1/07 will be rejected as billing errors if they are submitted with ICD-9-CM codes that are deleted in the 2008 code set. Claims for dates of service prior to 10/1/07 will be rejected if they are submitted with new codes from the 2008 code set. There is no “grace period” for submitting deleted ICD-9-CM codes. All ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes submitted on electronic and paper claims must be valid on the date the service was provided, regardless of where they are used or referenced. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules require that Medicare ensure ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes are HIPAA compliant, since the codes may be passed on to other payers. Diagnosis codes that do not represent the highest level of specificity are considered invalid. If a 3-digit diagnosis code has a 4-digit code that further describes it, the 4-digit diagnosis code must be submitted. The same rule applies to 4-digit codes that have 5-digit codes further describing the diagnosis. Claims containing one or more invalid diagnosis codes will be rejected as unprocessable (remark code MA130). Unprocessable claims do not have appeal rights and must be resubmitted as “new” claims. For more information go to:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ICD9ProviderDiagnosticCodes/
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