Reader Questions:
Dig Into Documentation
Published on Tue Aug 02, 2005
Question: Is it OK to report 59414 for a spontaneous abortion with a retained placenta?
Tennessee Subscriber Answer: The answer depends on whether the ob-gyn surgically removed the retained placenta, in which case you should classify this as a spontaneous incomplete abortion. The correct code for this procedure is 59812 (Treatment of incomplete abortion, any trimester, completed surgically).
If the ob-gyn manually removed the placenta following the spontaneous abortion and you could not report a delivery because the fetus was 20 weeks or less gestation, some payers will accept 59414 (Delivery of placenta [separate procedure]).
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
