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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Reader Question:

No Specific Code for Laser Use

Published on Mon Nov 01, 1999

Question: How would you code a direct laryngoscopy w/excision of tumor and/or stripping of vocal chords when using the laser?

Robert S. Thornton, MD,
ENT Center, Shreveport, LA

Answer: The correct code is 31540 (laryngoscopy, direct, operative, with excision of tumor and/or stripping of vocal cords or epiglottis), says Gretchen Segado, CPC, assistant coding compliance manager with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. Now, Segado says, there is no separate code for using the laser. The same situation applies for tonsillectomies and somnoplasties, which are coded the same regardless of the method used to perform the excisions, Segado says.
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