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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

May We Use This Lab Code?

Published on Wed Nov 12, 2008

Question: One of our doctors would like to know whether we might bill 88380 (laser) with a tympanoplasty. Is this OK? Florida Subscriber Answer: Is your physician is doing his own lab work? Code 88380 (Microdissection [i.e., sample preparation of microscopically identified target]; laser capture) describes a method for obtaining desired cells from microscopic tissue sections for further study, such as genotyping or protein analysis. A pathologist uses a laser-equipped microscope after the tissue has been frozen or embedded in paraffin. Normally, your physician would send tissue to a pathology lab for that. Answers to You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided and reviewed by Barbara J. Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC-OTO, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPCI, CHCC, president of CRN Healthcare Solutions in Tinton Falls, N.J.
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