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Gastroenterology Coding Alert

CPT® 2012 Update:

49082-49083 Redefines The Way You Report Paracentesis

Published on Fri Jan 20, 2012

Checking for imaging guidance now helps improve reporting accuracy. If accurately reporting a paracentesis service has been a challenge for you, particularly trying to determine whether the services were initial or subsequent and how to report any lavage that's included, there's good news. CPT® 2012 rings in some welcome modifications to the way you report paracentesis making it simple and uncomplicated. Read on for advice on applying these changes. Heed These Lavage, Imaging Adjustments Before the CPT® 2012 change, you had to report both paracentesis and lavage of the peritoneum with the same code making it difficult to track what procedure your gastroenterologist actually did. Another difficulty was that there were two codes to report paracentesis, depending on if your gastroenterologist was performing the procedure for the first time or as a follow-up to an initial procedure. "A paracentesis is performed with the same technique each time it is done [...]
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