Medicare is recommending removing 10 procedures from the inpatient-only list in 2023, according to its Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System proposed rule, released July 15.
Here are the 10 CPT codes and their descriptions:
1. 16036: Escharotomy; each additional incision (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure
2. 22632: Arthrodesis, posterior interbody technique, including laminectomy and/or discectomy to prepare interspace (other than for decompression), single interspace; each additional interspace (list separately in addition to code for primary procedure)
3. 21141: Reconstruction midface, lefort i; single piece, segment movement in any direction (eg, for long face syndrome), without bone graft)
4. 21142: Reconstruction midface, lefort i; 2 pieces, segment movement in any direction, without bone graft
5. 21143: Reconstruction midface, lefort i; 3 or more pieces, segment movement in any direction, without bone graft
6. 21194: Reconstruction of mandibular rami, horizontal, vertical, c, or l osteotomy; with bone graft (includes obtaining graft)
7. 21196: Reconstruction of mandibular rami and/or body, sagittal split; with internal rigid fixation
8. 21347: Open treatment of nasomaxillary complex fracture (lefort ii type); requiring multiple open approaches
9. 21366: Open treatment of complicated (eg, comminuted or involving cranial nerve foramina) fracture(s) of malar area, including zygomatic arch and malar tripod; with bone grafting (includes obtaining graft
10. 21422: Open treatment of palatal or maxillary fracture (lefort i type)
Eight of the services — CPT codes 21141, 21142, 21143, 21194, 21196, 21347, 21366 and 21422 — are maxillofacial procedures that were previously removed from the IPO list in 2021 as part of the first phase of the elimination of the list, but were returned to the list when its elimination was halted in 2022.