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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Line Placement:

Earn Almost $100 for PICC Line Insertion -- If the Right Person Provides the Service

Published on Tue Mar 13, 2012

Check 3 factors to ensure your billing is correct. Anesthesia providers often place lines for patients, whether it's in conjunction with surgery or for other reasons. The next time you code for a PICC (percutaneously inserted central catheter) line insertion, consider three important factors to ensure you choose correctly. Note the Patient's AgeCPT® divides most codes for line insertion/venous access by age. Look at descriptors for terms such as "under 5" and "age 5 years or older" to automatically narrow your choices, advises Leslie Johnson, CCS-P, CPC, manager of coding, compliance, and education for Somnia, Inc., in New Rochelle, N.Y. This structure holds true for your PICC line options: 36568 -- Insertion of peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC), without subcutaneous port or pump; younger than 5 years of age 36569 -- ... age 5 years and older. Verify Who Inserted the Line "It's fairly common for non-physicians, such as nurses, to [...]
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