PROSTHODONTICS - American College of Prosthodontists

98 Parameters of Care Tupac et alPreface13) Adjunctive Therapies ParameterThe integrated therapy of many prosthodontic treatment plans includes components of all aspectsof dentistry. Although the referral of a patient to appropriate specialists for treatment outside ofprosthodontics is the norm, there are situations and considerations in which the patient’s best interest isprotected by the prosthodontist performing limited procedures adjunctive to prosthodontic therapiesoutside the normal scope of the specialty. These procedures should be of a limited nature and bedeemed appropriate when referral would not be in the patient’s best interest. These treatments shouldbe preceded by a discussion with the patient concerning the risk/benefit ratio and a subsequent informedconsent. The prosthodontist should have demonstrated competence in any procedure performed and beaware that the standard of care for the procedure is determined by that group of dentists who mostappropriately perform that procedure.General Criteria and StandardsInformed Consent: All prosthodontic procedures should be preceded by the patient’s consent. Informedconsent is obtained after the patient has been informed of the indications for the procedure(s), goalsof treatment, the known benefits and risks of the procedure(s), the factor(s) that may affect the knownrisks and complications, the treatment options, the need for active maintenance by the patient and theneed for future replacements and revisions, and the favorable outcome.Documentation: Parameters of care for prosthodontic procedures include documentation of objectivefindings, diagnosis, and patient-management intervention.Coding and NomenclatureDiagnostic and procedural codes have been included in the ACP Parameters of Care only for generalguidance. The codes listed may not be all-inclusive or represent the most current or specific choices. Theinclusion of codes is not meant to supplant the use of current coding books or to relieve practitionersof their obligation to remain current in diagnostic and procedural coding. The ACP Committee onParameters of Care and Committee on Nomenclature do not endorse the use of this document as acoding manual.The diagnostic and procedural codes listed throughout this section may not be all-inclusive and shouldserve only as practice guidelines. ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, ClinicalModification) diagnostic codes may change yearly and must be reviewed and updated annually to ensureaccuracy. Specific diagnoses must be obtained from a current recognized ICD-9-CM code source andsubstantiated by documentation in the dental record. Procedural codes listed throughout this sectionserve as a guide, which may be applicable to the treatment performed or management modality chosen.These may not be the most recent, applicable, or acceptable codes. Some dental/medical insuranceproviders have billing conventions unique to their organizations. It is the provider’s responsibility to beaware of these unique situations.Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), the recognized codes for dental/medical billing, are revisedyearly and must be reviewed and updated annually to ensure accuracy. The recent codes are acceptedby dental/medical insurance providers and should be obtained from the current year’s version of theAmerican Medical Association (AMA) CPT Manual. Current Procedural Terminology C○ 2005 American MedicalAssociation. All rights reserved.Current Dental Terminology (CDT) codes, the recognized codes for dental/medical billing, are revisedevery 3 years (previously every 5 years) and should be reviewed and updated whenever the most recentversion of the American Dental Association (ADA) CDT Manual is published. Current Dental TerminologyC○ 2002, 2004 American Dental Association. All rights reserved.2010 CDEL Re-recognition of the Specialty Report 138 of 279