Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Question: Which code should we report when the physician performs an open nasal reconstruction? Pennsylvania Subscriber Answer: The answer depends on the specific details in your otolaryngologist's operative report, but most open nasal reconstructions warrant 30400 (Rhinoplasty, primary; lateral and alar cartilages and/or elevation of nasal tip). If the surgeon also repairs the septum, you should report 30420 (... including major septal repair) instead. -- Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, an otolaryngology coding and reimbursement specialist and president of Cash Flow Solutions, a medical billing firm in Brick, N.J.; Amy H. Nunnelee, MA, CCC-A, clinical audiology instructor at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.; and Julie Robertson, CPC, an otolaryngology coding and reimbursement specialist at University ENT Specialists in Cincinnati.