Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: What is the correct code for a selective nerve root injection? Nebraska Subscriber Answer: Medical professionals often interchange the term "selective nerve root injection" with " transforaminal epidural injection," so you should choose a code from the 64479-64484 range (Injection, anesthetic agent and/or steroid, transforaminal epidural ...). Although some carriers use the two terms interchangeably, others do not, so you should check with your payer to determine which ICD-9 codes it accepts for selective nerve root injection. - Clinical and coding expertise for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Neil Busis, MD, chief of the division of neurology and director of the neurodiagnostic laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at Shadyside, and clinical associate professor in the department of neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, director and senior instructor for CRN Institute, an online coding certification training center based in Absecon, N.J. ❑