2-563: The Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System ( HCPCS , often pronounced by its acronym as "hick picks") is a set of health care procedure codes based on the American Medical Association 's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). The acronym HCPCS originally stood for HCFA Common Procedure Coding System , a medical billing process used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Prior to 2001, CMS
4-502: Was known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). HCPCS was established in 1978 to provide a standardized coding system for describing the specific items and services provided in the delivery of health care. Such coding is necessary for Medicare , Medicaid , and other health insurance programs to ensure that insurance claims are processed in an orderly and consistent manner. Initially, use of
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