Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: What is a CADD pump, and how should I code for it? Mississippi Subscriber Answer: Physicians or NPPs use continuous ambulatory delivery (CADD) pumps to infuse medications through an intravenous or subcutaneous route at set intervals. The patient with the CADD pump does not need the constant monitoring of a health provider.

You should code for the pump, cassettes and drugs. For the pump, you have two types of code selections, one for the initiation on the first day, i.e., E0779 (Ambulatory infusion pump, mechanical, reusable, for infusion 8 hours or greater), and the other for the refill, 96520 (Refilling and maintenance of portable pump). If the patient receives chemotherapy separately in the office, you can charge that administration out, adding modifier -59 (Distinct procedural service) to the code for the pump. To find out about the different CADD brands, go to http://www.msdistributors.com/BioMed/MEH/INFINDEX.HTM. Another informative Web site for this product is http://www.abbotthosp.com/PROD/EDDS/pdf/965304Sept.pdf. To learn how to differentiate between the different types of CADD pumps, check out this Web site: http://www.deltec.com/products.cfm. Information in this reader question came from Nancy Martin, CPC, at ACT Medical Group in S.C.