Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: I submitted a claim with 92972 to report a percutaneous transluminal coronary lithotripsy. However, the claim was denied. How should I have coded this?

Kansas Subscriber

Answer: You don’t provide much information, but CPT^® code +92972 (Percutaneous transluminal coronary lithotripsy (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)) is an add-on code, so you need to make sure you list it in addition to a primary procedure code.

According to AAPC’s Codify, there are eight codes you can report with +92972, all of which pertain to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PCI, which is also known as coronary angioplasty, is a therapeutic procedure to treat stenotic (narrowed) coronary arteries.

Check your provider’s documentation and go from there. Here are the relevant CPT^® codes:

• 92920 (Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; single major coronary artery or branch)
• 92924 (Percutaneous transluminal coronary atherectomy, with coronary angioplasty when performed; single major coronary artery or branch)
• 92928 (Percutaneous transcatheter placement of intracoronary stent(s), with coronary angioplasty when performed; single major coronary artery or branch)
• 92933 (Percutaneous transluminal coronary atherectomy, with intracoronary stent, with coronary angioplasty when performed; single major coronary artery or branch)
• 92937 (Percutaneous transluminal revascularization of or through coronary artery bypass graft (internal mammary, free arterial, venous), any combination of intracoronary stent, atherectomy and angioplasty, including distal protection when performed; single vessel)
• 92941 (Percutaneous transluminal revascularization of acute total/subtotal occlusion during acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery or coronary artery bypass graft, any combination of intracoronary stent, atherectomy and angioplasty, including aspiration thrombectomy when performed, single vessel)
• 92943 (Percutaneous transluminal revascularization of chronic total occlusion, coronary artery, coronary artery branch, or coronary artery bypass graft, any combination of intracoronary stent, atherectomy and angioplasty; single vessel)
• 92975 (Thrombolysis, coronary; by intracoronary infusion, including selective coronary angiography).

Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Production Editor, AAPC