READER QUESTIONS:
Look to Similar Codes When You Have None
Published on Sun Jan 01, 2006
Question: How should I report manual evacuation of blood clots to treat a postpartum hemorrhage? The patient returned to the operating room after delivery, and the ob-gyn performed a pelvic exam with a speculum, a bimanual exam, and clot removal.
California Subscriber
Answer: You won't find any good code for this procedure. You might choose 59160 (Curettage, postpartum), but this service normally involves suction curettage to remove products of conception.
What your ob-gyn did was much simpler, so you may more accurately report the procedure as 57410 (Pelvic examination under anesthesia). You should add modifier 78 (Return to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative period) to this code because the ob-gyn took the patient back to the operating room and completed the previous delivery.
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:
