General Surgery Coding Alert

Question: The op note states Tru-Cut liver biopsy. Is this a laparoscopic, percutaneous, or wedge biopsy, and how should I code it?

Ohio Subscriber

Answer: A Tru-Cut biopsy is a percutaneous needle biopsy. The correct code in your case is 47000 (Biopsy of liver, needle; percutaneous) or +47001 (... when done for indicated purpose at time of other major procedure [list separately in addition to code for primary procedure]).

Check for stand alone: Choosing the correct code for this procedure requires that you determine if the surgeon performed the biopsy as the only surgical procedure at the encounter (47000) or while doing another procedure (+47001). Because it's an add-on code, you should always report +47001 in addition to another procedure code. The Tru-Cut biopsy involves a needle comprised of an outer cannula with a serrated rod on the inside. The surgeon uses the interior rod to cut the tissue specimen, trap it inside the cannula, and withdraw the entire needle containing the specimen.