Anesthesia Coding Alert

Counting levels correctly will protect your pay. If your practice is like many offices incorrectly reporting facet joint injections, now's the time to fix your errors -- or you could be facing major payback requests. 63 percent of facet joint injections allowed in 2006 did not meet Medicare program requirements, resulting in approximately $96 million in improper payments for physician services, according to a September 2008 OIG report. Associated facility claims had an additional $33 million in improper payments. Use 'Destruction' Codes for Proper Nerve Levels Lumbar facet joint nerve neurolytic destruction indications include intervertebral lumbar disk disorder or degeneration with myelopathy, lumbar spondylosis with myelopathy, nerve root disorders, postlaminectomy syndrome, spinal stenosis, lumbago, and congenital anomaly of the spine, said Linda Van Horn, MBA, at a conference of the Society for Pain Practice Management in Phoenix, on March 30. For the indications above, you will use: • 64622 -- Destruction by [...]