General Surgery Coding Alert
AMA May Develop Its Own Correct Coding Initiative
CPT guidelines have always specified codes that you shouldn't bill together, or codes that you must report as add-ons, for example. But, this June, the AMA plans to take an additional step and report to its House of Delegates on the results of a resolution the delegates passed last summer. The resolution calls on the AMA to study "the feasibility of developing a national standard for the utilization of codes, code combination, and modifiers that is consistent with all CPT codes, guidelines, and conventions, and that would be used by all commercial and governmental payers."
An AMA correct coding initiative could provide invaluable guidance to coders, but it will mean an additional layer of bundling guidelines over and above those already mandated by CMS with the NCCI. Look to General Surgery Coding Alert in the months ahead for more information on this topic.
General Surgery Coding Alert
- Diagnostic and Screening Colonoscopies Call for Different Coding Strategies
V code diagnoses provide justification for screening exams
When choosing a code for a screening colonoscopy [...] - You Be the Coder:
How Many Hemorrhoids?
Question: Can I report one unit of 46221 for each hemorrhoid the surgeon removes using [...] - Yes, You Can Bill Multiple Thoracoscopies
Medicare requires you to bundle 'converted' scopes to open procedures
Most general surgery coders are familiar [...] - Limit Size-Based Debridement To Nonphysician Staff
Incorrect 97597-97598 claims could mean up to $250 less
For your surgeon's debridement services, you should [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Decompression Bundled to Colonoscopy Code
Question: A patient presented with a pseudo-obstruction in the colon. The surgeon placed a decompression [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Don't Bundle Wedge Biopsy of Liver
Question: The surgeon performed an exploratory laparotomy and wedge biopsy of the liver. She excised [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Payers Treat Group Practices as 1 Provider
Question: If Surgeon 2 in our group practice provides post-op care for a patient whom [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Exploration Affects Secondary Closure
Question: On several occasions, our surgeons have performed bowel surgery and have had to leave [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Excision Codes Still Count for Stoma Site
Question: How should I report excision of a skin lesion at the stoma site?
Oklahoma Subscriber
[...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Previous Hospital Care May Affect E/M Reporting
Question: A provider insurance representative recommended at an in-house seminar that if our surgeon sees [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Use Soft Tissue Code for Post-Mastectomy Excision
Question: How can we code for a patient who has already had a mastectomy due [...] - READER QUESTIONS:
Depth Determines Lymphadenectomy Code
Question: Which code properly describes axillary lymphadenectomy?
Virginia Subscriber
Answer: The code you choose depends on [...] - News In Brief:
AMA May Develop Its Own Correct Coding Initiative
Surgery coders may soon face an additional layer of guidelines, because the AMA, which oversees [...] - Medicare Proposes, Rescinds 'Medically Unbelievable' Edits
If you've heard rumors of a new category of coding edits, you can take a [...]
