Cardiology Coding Alert

You Be the Expert ~ Watch Other Procedures to Determine ICD Testing

Question: Our physician completed a charge ticket indicating implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) testing during a cardiothoracic procedure. I thought 93742 would be the appropriate surgical code, but I didn't find a corresponding anesthesia code. What codes should I report?

Montana Subscriber

Answer: Code 93742 (Electronic analysis of pacing cardioverter-defibrillator [includes interrogation, evaluation of pulse generator status, evaluation of programmable parameters at rest and during activity where applicable, using electrocardiographic recording and interpretation of recordings at rest and during exercise, analysis of event markers and device response]; single chamber or wearable cardioverter-defibrillator system, with repro-gramming) is a diagnostic service during which the cardiologist interrogates and reprograms an implanted single chamber defibrillator.

Depending upon the nature of the service, this may not be separately billable with any listed HCPCS codes. If the cardiologist simply turned off the defibrillator for the duration of the procedure to prevent inappropriate shocks (to the operator or the patient), you won't find any listed code to reflect the service. If your doctor wanted to obtain reimbursement for this service, you would have to use an unlisted code (93799, Unlisted cardiovascular service or procedure). This is because the doctor would not truly be conducting the service for diagnostic or reprogramming purposes.

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