What steps constitute a pre-submission audit of a CMS-1500 claim?

• A. Confirm patient data, verify CPT/ICD codes alignment, ensure modifiers are correct, confirm dates, and validate NPI information.
• B. Only check CPT codes alignment.
• C. Ignore NPI validation.
• D. Validate only the service date, ignore other fields.

Answer: (A)

A pre-submission audit for a CMS-1500 claim should be a comprehensive check of all key data elements to ensure consistency and accuracy before submission. The best approach is to verify patient demographics, confirm that the CPT and ICD codes align with the documented diagnosis and service, ensure any modifiers are correct and justified, confirm service dates (and any related date ranges) are accurate, and validate the provider’s NPI to ensure the claim is associated with the correct clinician or practice. This broad sweep catches mismatches and missing information that can trigger denials, such as code-date conflicts, inappropriate modifiers, or an invalid NPI.

Focusing on just one area, like only CPT codes, misses other crucial fields that affect eligibility. Ignoring NPI validation risks submitting under the wrong provider identifier, and validating only the service date neglects potential issues with patient data, diagnosis-code relationships, or modifiers.