Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Your surgeon's op report plays crucial role.When a physician closes a colostomy, resection and anastomosis of the bowel often accompanies the procedure. Often, you can make use of the surgeon's op note to guide you to the appropriate code, as it should describe any resection and anastomosis he performs with a colostomy closure during the same operative session.Some situations, however, require closer examination. If you equip yourself with integral information, you should be counting your most desired dollars in no time at all.Start SimpleScenario 1: The GI surgeon performs coloproctostomy with colostomy (44146, Colectomy, partial; with coloproctostomy [low pelvic anastomosis], with colostomy) for a patient with colon cancer. Four months later, the surgeon closes the colostomy without bowel resection. What code should you report?Solution 1: For a basic takedown of enterostomy without bowel resection, you would report 44620 (Closure of enterostomy, large or small intestine). Look for clues in the documentation, [...]