Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: How should I code the following case?IV Rituxan, 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM IV Aloxi and Decadron (mixed in one bag), 10:30 AM to 10:50 AM IV Benadryl and Zantac (mixed in one bag), 10:50 AM to 11:10 AMNew Mexico SubscriberAnswer: Your first step is to verify the primary reason for the visit. CPT® guidelines specify that for physician coding you should choose the "initial" code based on the primary reason for the visit. The physician determines what that primary reason is.Assuming the Rituxan (rituximab) therapy is the primary reason for the visit, you should consider the following information for the claim.Rituxan, 180 minutes: Individual payers may choose which agents merit chemotherapy infusion codes rather than non-chemotherapy infusion codes. But for most payers, you should be able to report 96413 (Chemotherapy administration, intravenous infusion technique; up to 1 hour, single or initial substance/drug) for the first hour of the [...]