Talk:ABC Codes

Would like our information updated please.

Dear Wiki team,

ABC Coding Solutions, INC. would like their information updated for ABC Codes. Please help with information provided below as example. Thank you.

{{Infobox terminology | name = ABC Codes | abbreviation = ABC | status = Published | latest_version = January 4, 2021 | organization = ABC Coding Solutions, Inc. | domain = Non-allopathic procedures and products | website = www.abccodes.com

ABC Codes are a supplemental five-character alphabetic coding system developed by ABC Coding Solutions, Inc. (formerly Alternative Link, Inc.), a U.S. healthcare data and terminology company. The codes are designed to describe procedures, services, remedies, and supplies used in non-allopathic (complementary, integrative, and non-physician) healthcare that are not fully represented in standard systems such as the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II.ABC Codes are intended for use in Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) administrative transactions and link to state-specific scope-of-practice regulations.

History Alternative Link, Inc. (doing business as ABC Coding Solutions) was founded in 1996 to develop coding solutions for integrative and complementary healthcare services.

HIPAA demonstration project In January 2003, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson approved a demonstration project under 45 C.F.R. § 162.940 to test the use of ABC Codes in HIPAA electronic transactions. The project, which began on October 16, 2003, involved approximately 10,000 registered participants including providers, insurers, and state Medicaid agencies. It evaluated the codes' feasibility for claims processing, reimbursement analysis, and studies involving complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services. A CMS review committee evaluated the results in 2005. The committee determined that while the codes functioned technically within HIPAA transactions, they did not demonstrate sufficient national adoption or need to be adopted as a mandatory HIPAA standard code set.

Recognition ABC Codes were recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA) in 2000 as a nursing terminology. They are also included in the National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS).

Current use Following the demonstration project, ABC Codes have continued as a supplemental coding system. They are used in some state Medicaid programs, private-sector initiatives, and for documenting integrative healthcare services.

References

• CMS. Evaluation of a Code Set Being Proposed for HIPAA Transactions: Alternative Billing Concepts (ABC) Codes (Final Report).
• ABC Coding Solutions. About Us (for basic company facts, used sparingly).
• National Library of Medicine. ALT (Alternative Billing Concepts).
• FindACode. ABC Code Set Information.

Abccodes (talk) 23:06, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

Not done for now: Please establish a consensus with editors engaged in the subject area before using the {{Edit COI}} template for this proposed change. References should be included inline ASUKITE 14:54, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

@Abccodes. I agree with @Asukite the proposal above should not be added as is.

1. Need inline citations for each fact.
2. The current version needs serious copyediting. That said, the version proposed above, as written, suffers from undue weight being given to the ABC Codes company. (UNDUE question might be answered through the questions written below)

If this article is to be encyclopedic, it should answer basic questions that a reader might ask, such as: (list not all inclusive,

1. Why was there a need for the ABC Codes?
2. Are they required to be used? If so, where? And when?
3. Are ABC codes only used for Medicare billing? Or also for medical insurance billing? Any other uses?
4. Are ABC codes proprietary? (Seems you have to buy the book to get the codes)
5. Was the 2003 demonstration project the result of a proposal by ABC Codes company to the US government? Or, was it a project that ABC Codes bid on?
6. Why, of the ten (10) 2003 evaluation criteria, 3/10 were not met, and 2/10 were partially met? Were the criteria proposed by ABC Coding or part of the government's evaluation criteria?
7. Prior to 2003 (even 1996), were there any other companies involved in ABC coding?
8. Company name: "Alternative Link, Inc. (doing business as ABC Coding Solutions)". DBA has a particular meaning. Is the company's official name still Alternative Link, Inc..; or was it changed? If so, when was the change made (and why)?

— ERcheck (talk) 17:47, 25 May 2026 (UTC)