Identifying COVID-19 Patients

By Nicoleta Rahovan, CPC, CANPC – Lead Coder

On March 18, 2020, the CDC announced that The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a new diagnosis code U07.1, COVID-19 that may be used for DOS on or after April 1, 2020. This code can only be used for confirmed COVID-19 cases.

It is important that when providing service to a COVID-19 or potential COVID-19 patient that you indicate on your billing ticket and the anesthesia record so that RCM is made aware. For those that signed an attestation for Care Act Relief Funds, we are required to only bill the patients for an out of pocket expense no greater than in network rates.

“All care for a possible or actual case of COVID-19, Recipient certifies that it will not seek to collect from the patient out-of-pocket expenses in an amount greater than what the patient would have otherwise been required to pay if the care had been provided by an in-network recipient.”