This page addresses follow-up questions and additional information pertinent to our webinar
Non-Invasive Cardiac Diagnostics Coding.
** The coding information and guidance are valid at the time of publishing. Learners are encouraged to research
subsequent official guidance in the areas associated with the topic as they can change rapidly.
Q: Can you list out what the adjacent portions of the aorta are? As part of the complete transthoracic echo requirement?
A: That would be difficult because this can vary from person to person. I would say the most common ones are documented at the aortic root, or the pulmonary artery or valve. Unfortunately, there is no specific list.
Q: Can we report an administration code, such as 96374, when the provider administers the contrast for echo?
A: No, that would not be appropriate. The CMS NCCI policy manual chapter 11 specifies that the injection itself is not separately payable.
Q: Are there any specific guidelines regarding what constitutes a complete spectral doppler, verses a limited, as in codes 93320 and 93321?
A: There are no specific guidelines published stating what constitutes a complete Doppler study. There is a CPT Assistant from January 2010 that says a follow-up or limited study is an examination that does not evaluate or document the attempt to evaluate all the structures that comprise the complete echocardiographic exam. It is usually for a focused clinical purpose.
Q: What category of echo would we report if a patient had complex congenital cardiac anomalies and is now status post heart transplant?
A: The direction for this is to use the non-congenital echo codes. The reason is that the anomalies no longer exist, and they were not surgically repaired, because the transplant was performed instead.
Looking for additional information on this topic?
Meet the Presenter: Deanna Upston, CPC, CCS, CPMA, COSC
Deanna is a Senior Coding Quality Auditor for The Haugen Consulting Group with over 20 years of health care industry experience. Her introduction was through medical assisting, which she enjoyed for several years. Once she was established at a surgeon’s office, she started coding their surgical cases and discovered that was her favorite part of the day. Deanna has experience working on the professional fee side of coding, audit, education and compliance serving coders and physicians. She has put together multiple education sessions for both provider and coder. She also has experience working as an analyst in which she validated the integrity of editing logic during the implementation of claim scrubbing software.
0 Comments