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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Case Study:

Troubleshoot Your Tube Removals By Examining 3 Examples

Published on Thu Aug 30, 2012

You can only report 92504 in this circumstance.You know you should include tube removals as part of the E/M visit code, but you can encounter circumstances when you can report separate services. Check out the following three instances in which tube removal demands coding above and beyond a simple E/M service.Bundle Removal to E/M -- UsuallyIn most cases, you should consider ear tube removal to be a component of any E/M service the ENT provides during the same visit.Assign E/M with caution: Remember, however, that an E/M service includes three key components: history, exam and medical-decision making. If the ENT merely removes the tubes (which can take only seconds) and medical necessity does not require a separate history and/or exam, documentation may not support even the lowest-level E/M service, says Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CENTC, CPCH, CPC-P, CPC-I, CHCC, president of CRN Healthcare Solutions, a consulting firm in Tinton [...]
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