decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2008 Issue 12 (December)
Benchmark of the Week: Ten fastest declining codes from 2006 to 2007
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Article Overview
This article summarizes a Part B News analysis of 2007 CMS claims data focused on the 10 billing codes with the largest percentage decreases in utilization from 2006 to 2007. It is relevant to coders, billing staff, and specialty practices that track volume trends, policy changes, and utilization shifts across specialties such as psychiatry, cardiology, dermatology, and pathology. The piece also references CMS edit activity and an OIG work plan announcement as context for the observed declines.
Why This Topic Matters
Utilization trends can signal policy, coding, and specialty-specific changes that affect reimbursement and workflow. Readers can use this benchmark to understand which code families were declining in this period and what broader administrative factors were being discussed.
What You Will Learn
- How a benchmark analysis identified the fastest declining billing codes over a one-year period.
- Which clinical and administrative contexts were associated with the utilization declines.
- How CMS claims data and related policy activity were used to frame the trend discussion.
- What specialties were most associated with the declining codes.
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing specialists
- Practice managers
- Compliance staff
- Physician specialty practices
- Healthcare analysts
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
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