Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Why, who, and where work hand-in-hand to point you to the right code.If you want to keep the dollars flowing for in-office examination of fecal occult blood test (FOBT), you should focus on the difference between three hemoccult codes and their purpose.Consider the following scenario:A patient presented in the office complaining of diarrhea preceded by intestinal cramping, which lasted a couple of weeks. The patient is 60 years old and has no history of cancer in the family. He also didn't feel nauseous at all. The physician took a stool sample to test for both parasites and blood. How should you tackle this?Assign the Appropriate Code for Each Type of CollectionSince 2007, CPT has assigned two codes that you can use for post digital rectal exam (DREs) and consecutive specimen collection:82270 -- Blood, occult, by peroxidase activity (e.g., guaiac), qualitative; feces, consecutive collected specimens with single determination, for colorectal neoplasm  screening [...]