Internal Medicine Coding Alert
Use V Codes as Primary Dx -- Sometimes
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Question: Our practice recently performed a three-specimen glucose tolerance test on a Medicare patient to test for diabetes. The patient was asymptomatic, and had never had a diabetes screening before. How can I prove medical necessity for this service? California Subscriber Answer: In this case, you should use a V code to support medical necessity for the screening. On the claim, report the following:
• 82951 (Glucose; tolerance test [GTT], three specimens [includes glucose]) for the test
• V77.1 (Special screening for diabetes mellitus) linked to 82951 to show the reason for the test.
-- Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were reviewed by Bruce Rappoport, MD, CPC, CHCC, a board-certified internist and medical director of Broward Health's Best Choice Plus and Total Claims Administration in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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