Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Bonus question: Can my practice get paid separately for supplies?

Answer: "The only supply code you should bill is for the IUD itself," says Patricia Larabee, CPC, CCP-P, coding specialist for InterMed in South Portland, Maine. You'll find two basic types of IUDs: copper-bearing, such as Paraguard; and progestinreleasing, such as Mirena. HCPCS lists two separate supply codes for the IUD:

• J7300 (Intrauterine copper contraceptive) for copper-bearing IUDs

• J7302 (Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine contraceptive system, 52 mg) for progestin-releasing IUDs.

If you're submitting a supply code to a private payer that accepts S codes (such as Blue Cross Blue Shield), you can report S4981 (Insertion of levonorgestrelreleasing intrauterine system) alternatively for a progestin-releasing IUD.

You can bill for the supplies only if your practice purchases them ahead of time and keeps a supply in the office, points out Veronica Antonelli, coding and compliance coordinator for Women's Care Florida in Tampa Bay. Some payers require practices to purchase this device through a specified process where the vendor bills the payer directly. If that's the case, you shouldn't bill for the supply.