Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

If you can't remember Medicare's frequency guidelines for low-risk Pap screenings, then you may not be getting your money's worth out of coding articles. Assess what you know and enhance your expertise by taking this Pap smear coding quiz.

Read the following scenarios and decide which codes you would report. Then look below for the possible options, but be forewarned: you may encounter trick questions.

1. A low-risk non-Medicare patient returns to the obgyn upon receiving a finding of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) after her last visit. The ob-gyn performs another Pap smear.

2. A low-risk Medicare patient arrives at your office and undergoes an annual Pap smear and pelvic and breast exam.

3. Even though a patient (non-Medicare) does not complain of any problem, the ob-gyn performs a Pap smear as part of a well-woman examination.

4. A Medicare patient who has not had a Pap smear in three years presents complaining of stress urinary incontinence. The ob-gyn performs a pelvic exam and Pap smear.

Match scenarios 1-4 to the following A-F options. You may use answers more than once.

A. Q0091 (Screening Papanicolaou smear; obtaining, preparing and conveyance of cervical or vaginal smear to laboratory) and G0101 (Cervical or vaginal cancer screening; pelvic and clinical breast examination).

B. 88141 (Cytopathology, cervical or vaginal [any reporting system]; requiring interpretation by physician).

C. This service is included in the E/M code (99201-99205 for new patients, or 99211-99215 for established patients).

D. One of the preventive medicine codes (99384-99387 for new patients, and 99394-99397 for established patients).

E. This service would not be covered.

F. None of the above.

Have your answers ready? Turn to page 100 for the correct responses.