AMA CPT® Assistant - 1998 Issue 11 (November)
Review of the 1999 CPT Coding Changes (November 1998)
November 1998 page 1-end Review of the 1999 CPT Coding Changes It's that time of the year once again. Time to start thinking about turkey dinner, holiday shopping, and of course, the upcoming CPT coding changes. As in years past, we now provide you with a greatly expanded issue to give you a complete review of the 1999 code and guideline changes, and a rationale for each change. We hope this issue gives you a head start into next year's coding. For the purposes of this issue, new codes appear with a symbol, revised codes with the symbol, and...
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Article Overview
This article reviews the 1999 CPT coding changes across evaluation and management, surgery, radiology, pathology and laboratory, medicine, anesthesia-related guidance, and other specialty sections. It is useful for coders, compliance staff, billers, and physicians who need a broad overview of CPT editorial updates, new reporting structure, revised descriptors, added cross-references, add-on code placements, and moved modifier guidance.
Why This Topic Matters
Annual CPT updates affect how services are documented and reported, and this review helps readers understand the scope of 1999 changes before applying them in practice. It is especially relevant for teams updating charge capture, coding references, and internal documentation guidance.
Article Sections
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Evaluation and Management (E/M) Services Guidelines
Covers general E/M guideline revisions, documentation concepts, and changes affecting how related services are described in the CPT framework.
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Evaluation and Management
Summarizes new and revised E/M-related code guidance in neonatal intensive care, prolonged services, and preventive medicine.
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Anesthesia Guidelines
Addresses changes to anesthesia-related modifier guidance and how CPT structure was updated for this section.
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Surgery Guidelines
Reviews broad surgery section revisions, including reporting of multiple procedures, add-on codes, and moved modifier guidance.
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Surgery
Covers editorial and structural updates across multiple surgical subsections, including integumentary, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, and other operative specialties.
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Radiology Guidelines
Describes general radiology reporting updates, including contrast material guidance and modifier-related revisions.
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Radiology
Summarizes revisions to diagnostic imaging and radiology procedure codes across chest, urinary tract, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology topics.
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Pathology Guidelines
Explains general pathology reporting guidance updates and modifier placement changes.
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Pathology and Laboratory
Covers revisions to laboratory panels, chemistry methods, molecular diagnostics, cytology, cytogenetics, and surgical pathology reporting.
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Medicine Guidelines
Addresses general medicine subsection guidance updates and changes to modifier handling.
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Medicine
Reviews medicine section updates for immune globulins, immunization administration, vaccines and toxoids, and selected specialty services.
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Ophthalmology
Covers updates to special ophthalmological services and related diagnostic imaging guidance.
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Cardiovascular
Summarizes changes in cardiovascular reporting guidance, including catheterization-related coding structure and related procedural references.
What You Will Learn
- How the 1999 CPT update changed reporting structure across multiple specialty sections
- Which areas received new, revised, or deleted codes and guideline updates
- How add-on codes and modifier placement were reorganized in CPT
- What broad topics were clarified in preventive medicine, surgery, radiology, pathology, medicine, and other sections
Who Should Read This
- Professional coders
- Billing staff
- Compliance teams
- Physician practices
- Revenue cycle teams
- Clinical documentation staff
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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