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Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Colon Procedure Code Depends on Technique

Published on Tue Jul 11, 2006

Question: What surgical and anesthesia codes apply to a colonoscopy with polypectomy?

Oklahoma Subscriber
  
Answer: The colon procedure code depends on the surgeon's technique. The most likely choices are 45380 (Colonoscopy, flexible, proximal to splenic flexure; with biopsy, single or multiple) if the surgeon uses biopsy forceps or 45385 (... with removal of tumor[s], polyp[s], or other lesion[s] by snare technique) if he uses a snare.
 
Both 45380 and 45385 cross to anesthesia code 00810 (Anesthesia for lower intestinal endoscopic procedures, endoscope introduced distal to duodenum).
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