Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Bill 69801 more than once per day, and you'd be throwing away a potential $202 pay. Having problems with patient complaints when billing 69801 lately? Are your payers not paying for subsequent injections after the first? If you didn't catch how 69801's global days shifted to zero from 90 days, then you might find yourself ensnared in confusion between patient, payers, and your practice. Examine the scenario described by Ann Blake, CPC, which describes the current problem that other coders commonly encounter: Scenario: We billed labyrinthotomy (a.k.a. gentamicin injection) on a patient who got five injections on different visits. The patient has filed a complaint to the Department of Justice, stating that when she began gentamicin treatments, on the first day, the physician made an incision in her inner ear, and inserted a tube into which he administered gentamicin drops. On four subsequent visits, the physician used a needle to [...]