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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Stretch Out Septoplasty E/M Period to the Max

Published on Mon Oct 26, 2009

Question: My physician performed FESS (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) and septoplasty on a patient who came in for packing removal a day after his surgery. Can we bill 99211? Missouri subscriber Answer: No, you cannot report 99211 (Office or other outpatient visit for the E/M of an established patient ...). Because the septoplasty (30520, Septoplasty or submucous resection, with or without cartilage scoring, contouring or replacement with graft) has a 90-day global period, you should include E/M services for the next 90 days. You cannot "carve out" what part of the E/M service is related to the septum and what is related to the FESS (such as 31254, Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ethmoidectomy, partial [anterior]). To track the packing removal, you can enter a $0 charge with 99024 (Postoperative follow-up visit, normally included in the surgical package, to indicate that an evaluation and management service was performed during a postoperative [...]
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