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Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Coding Tactics:

Tips Help Unscramble Your Endoscopic Ultrasound With EGD Coding

Published on Thu Apr 05, 2012

Hint: Let the location of ultrasound probe guide your choices. If your gastroenterologist performs an upper endoscopy along with ultrasound (EUS), don't make the mistake of reporting endoscopy with EUS using upper endoscopy codes, as there are separate codes for these procedures. Read on to know more about how you can tackle these coding scenarios such that it can help beef up your coding accuracy and avoid denials. Capture Extent of Use To accurately report endoscopy procedures with ultrasound, you'll need to know the extent and the location of the scope. "If after reading the operative report, there is still a question about how far and what part(s) the physician examined, it is best to query the physician," says Heather Copen, RHIT, CCS-P, Financial Advocate-Goshen OB/ GYN and Goshen GI, IU Health-Goshen Physicians, Goshen, Indiana. "Documentation is extremely important in assigning the appropriate codes," so coders should "discuss documentation requirements [...]
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