Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Published on Mon Oct 18, 2010 PDF

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The ink is just barely dry on CPT® 2012, but the AMA has already announced some items in the manual that require your attention.

The AMA released its list of CPT® Errata, so get out your red pen and make changes to ensure that your book is completely up to date.

For example: In CPT®'s "Cardiovascular System, Arteries and Veins, Vascular Injection Procedures" section, you should add the following text: "Selective vascular catheterization should be coded to include introduction and all lesser order selective catheterization used in the approach (eg, the description for a selective right middle cerebral artery catheterization includes the introduction and placement catheterization of the right common and internal carotid arteries)."

In addition: You'll want to remove references to the following codes from CPT® 2012's Appendix B, because these codes were deleted in 2011: 0141T, 0142T, 4002F, 4006F, and 4009F.

To read the complete listing of CPT® 2012 Errata, visit www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/cpt/cpt-2011-corrections.pdf.

Late breaking addition: There's one more item requiring your attention which has not yet been listed among the AMA's errata. Under decompression code 62287, the CPT® 2012 manual states, "For non-needle based technique for percutaneous decompression of nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disc, see codes 0276T, 0277T." The codes 0276T and 0277T were printed incorrectly, said Mark L. Leib, MD, JD, during his "CPT® Changes: Pain Medicine" presentation at the CPT® Editorial Committee meeting on Nov. 17.

Strike those two codes and replace them with 0274T and 0275T, Leib advised.