Neopath Awarded CPT Code For The Autopap 300 QC System
Categories: medical billing and codingREDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 21, 1997–NeoPath Inc. (NASDAQ:NPTH) announced today that the American Medical Association (AMA) has recently published revised Physicians’ Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) codes including CPT-4-Code #88152 that will apply to the AutoPap(R) 300 QC System for cervical cancer rescreening.
CPT codes are a universal system used by physicians and clinical laboratories to identify specific procedures when billing insurers for their services.
“We believe that this opens the door for many payors awaiting this decision by the AMA to include the AutoPap for reimbursement on their fee schedules,” said Dr. Alan C. Nelson, President and CEO of NeoPath Inc. “Clinical laboratories have been anxiously awaiting this decision and can now electronically file for reimbursement.”
In anticipation of this code, NeoPath has started an aggressive campaign to work with payors across the United States to establish reimbursement for the AutoPap System. It is NeoPath’s commitment to help laboratories achieve higher accuracy using the AutoPap System to rescreen Pap smears to detect potential missed abnormalities.
The codes and the code descriptions have now been published and will become effective for billing and reporting on January 1, 1998. Healthcare providers should confirm with insurance carriers when they can begin billing with the new codes, and to encourage payors to incorporate the new code on their fee schedules immediately.
NeoPath Inc., headquartered in Redmond, creates visual intelligence technology to increase accuracy in medical testing. The Company’s goal is to ensure that women worldwide receive accurate Pap smear testing to reduce the threat of cervical cancer. NeoPath’s core expertise is in the research, development and commercialization of technologies to automate the interpretation of medical images.
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, technological risks; product and manufacturing regulatory approval; the Company’s limited manufacturing, marketing, customer service and support capabilities; the Company’s sole or limited source of supply of certain components; the status of competing products; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.