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Update to “COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Administration Procedure Codes M0222, M0223, and Q0222 for COVID-19 Now a Benefit”

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Note: Texas Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) must provide all medically necessary, Medicaid-covered services to eligible members who are enrolled in their MCO. Administrative procedures, such as prior authorization, precertification, referrals, and claims and encounter data filing, may differ from traditional Medicaid (fee-for-service) and from MCO to MCO. Providers should contact the member's specific MCO for details.

This is an update to the article titled “COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Administration Procedure Codes M0222, M0223, and Q0222 for COVID-19 Now a Benefit” published on this website on May 2, 2022.

Texas Medicaid and Children with Special Healthcare Needs (CSHCN) Services Program have added pricing for the COVID-19 monoclonal antibody bebtelovimab, procedure code Q0222, effective for dates of service on or after August 15, 2022. On November 30, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that bebtelovimab is no longer authorized in any U.S. region due to lack of effectiveness against Omicron sub-variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Therefore, providers may no longer administer bebtelovimab to treat COVID-19 until further notice from the FDA.

Before August 15, 2022, procedure code Q2022 was not assigned a rate and processed as “informational” because the drug was exclusively supplied free of charge to providers by the federal or state government. Supply of this drug was transitioning to commercial sale prior to the FDA’s announcement. Therefore, providers should include the procedure code Q0222 on claims for dates of service from August 15, 2022, through November 29, 2022, only when the drug was purchased commercially. If the drug was received from the government, the provider should bill only for the administration of the drug and must not include procedure code Q0222 on claims for the abovementioned dates of service. The purchase invoice for bebtelovimab must be maintained in the provider’s records, and claims may be subject to retrospective review to verify the supply source.

Claims submitted for dates of service from August 15, 2022, through November 29, 2022, that include procedure code Q0222, when the drug was supplied by the federal or state government, must be voided and rebilled for the administration only. Payment received for a government-provided product is considered an overpayment and is subject to recoupment.

For reimbursement rate information for procedure code Q0222, providers can refer to the article titled “Reimbursement Rate Updates for COVID-19 Procedure Code Q0222 (Bebtelovimab COVID Monoclonal Antibody Therapy) Effective August 15, 2022.”

For more information, call the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) Contact Center at 800-925-9126 or the TMHP-CSHCN Services Program Contact Center at 800-568-2413.