Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: Would you give me an example of how to apply the phrase "each vessel" for code 75960?

Wisconsin Subscriber

Answer: The key to understanding 75960 (Transcatheter introduction of intravascular stent[s] [except coronary, carotid and vertebral vessel], percutaneous and/or open, radiological supervision and interpretation, each vessel) is knowing to apply it for each vessel rather than each stent.
     
One vessel: The physician places two stents in the contralateral external iliac (with no diagnostic angiography, or other therapeutic procedure).
     
Your claim should include the following codes, along with any modifiers your payer requires, such as modifier 51 for multiple procedures:

 • 36246 -- Selective catheter placement, arterial system; initial second-order abdominal, pelvic, or lower-extremity artery branch, within a vascular family
 • 37205 -- Transcatheter placement of an intravascular stent(s) (except coronary, carotid, and vertebral vessel), percutaneous; initial vessel
 • 75960.

Two vessels: The physician places one stent in the right common iliac artery and one stent that isn't contiguous with the common iliac stent in the right external iliac artery (meaning two separate and distinct lesions), again by a contralateral approach without diagnostic angiography
    
Your claim should include the following codes, along with any applicable modifiers:
 • 36246 
 • 37205 
 • +37206 -- Transcatheter placement of an intravascular stent(s) (except coronary, carotid, and vertebral vessel), percutaneous; each additional vessel
 • 75960 x 2.

Caution: The codes for stent placement include a number of services that you should not code separately. These include follow-up angiography and codes representing angioplasty for predilitation, deploying the stent, and postdilitation.