Clinical Background. Prothrombin, or factor II, is the precursor of thrombin; as such, it plays a key role in the balance between procoagulation and anticoagulation. A prothrombin genetic variant known as 20210G A is associated with elevated levels of prothrombin and with thrombophilia.
HCPCS are codes generated by the federal government to describe procedures that have special significance to either the Medicaid or Medicare programs. There is some overlap between CPT codes and HCPCS. This is because level 1 HCPCS codes are, in fact, CPT codes. Level 2 HCPCS codes are unique codes that, for us, begin with a 'V' or a 'W'. There also exists a level 3 series of codes that I will address below.
A Guide to HCPCS Codes. For many medical practices, CPT codes describe the majority of services performed and reported by their clinicians. So, it is tempting to ignore the Healthcare Common Procedure Code Set (HCPCS) and simply buy new CPT and ICD-9 books each year. But, what are HCPCS codes and why must a medical practice know and understand them? HCPCS codes are Category II procedure codes developed by the CMS to describe a medical service or supply.