Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert
No EMG Means Only Report for NCS
Question: Our neurologist saw a patient for an EMG and was able to do the nerve conduction study, but not the needle EMG portion because the patient got too anxious about the needles. She’s scheduled to come back next week to try again with the EMG again, but I’m not sure how to bill the current service. How should I handle it, considering the new codes this year?
Answer: Because your physician was only able to complete the nerve conduction study, that’s all you should code for this first encounter. Base your coding on the number of nerves studied, using codes 95907-95913.
Assuming the EMG procedure is successful when the patient returns, you’ll be able to code for the EMG at that time with the appropriate choice from 95860-95864 (Needle electromyography …).
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Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert
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