ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: One of our physicians inserted an ear wick saturated with an antibiotic into a patient's ear canal to reach an infected area. How should I report the procedure? Oklahoma Subscriber Answer: Ear-wick insertion and removal does not warrant additional reporting. If the physician performed only the insertion but no other procedure, then the E/M service includes the work. CPT considers the insertion included in the procedure, not otherwise reportable.

If your physician performed the ear-wick insertion at the same time as another procedure, such as 69000* (Drainage external ear, abscess or hematoma; simple) or 69020* (Drainage external auditory canal, abscess), you again cannot report the insertion separately. The procedure includes the insertion work. The answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions contributed by Robert A. LaFleur, MD, FACEP, president of Medical Management Specialists in Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Michael Granovsky, MD, CPC, CFO, of Greater Washington Emergency in suburban Maryland.