Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our technologist often administers the EEG, and the physician reads the results later that day or the next. What is the correct way to code the EEG and its reading when they occur separately? Louisiana Subscriber Answer: If your staff completes the test in the office, bill the global code once. If your physician reads EEGs for an inpatient, append modifier 26 (Professional component) to indicate that you aren't billing the service's technical component. You base EEG coding on two factors: the duration of the test and the patient's status. Your code choices are: - 95812 -- Electroencephalogram (EEG) extended monitoring; 41-60 minutes - 95813 -- - greater than one hour - 95816 -- Electroencephalogram (EEG); including recording awake and drowsy - 95819 -- - including recording awake and asleep - 95822 -- - recording in coma or sleep only - 95824 -- - cerebral death evaluation only - 95827 -- - all night recording.