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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Discover When You Can Report E/M + Flexible Scope Visits

Published on Mon Oct 26, 2009

Avoiding 2 pitfalls can add $105 to your bottom line. In an office visit, a patient must fail the mirror exam,which is part of your E/M exam, before you can charge separately for flexible laryngoscopy. Just as important is your physician's report as to why the patient needs a flexible scope. If you don't have this information, you won't be able to report the service. Bottom line: CMS clearly advises you to include the mirror exam (or regular fiberoptic scope) in the E/M, and states that the flexible laryngoscopy is separately billable only if the patient is a child or has undergone a failed mirror exam, says Eileen Blankership, CPC, reimbursement analyst at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center's Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Otolaryngology in Oklahoma City. Break Down This E/M, Scope Example Example: A patient comes into your otoloaryngologist's office for an exam complaining that he feels [...]
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