Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
76880 Takes Place of 76881-76882 in 2011
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Question: I heard that CPT is doing to delete 76880 for 2011. Which code should we report in its place? Answer: You'll be deleting at least three codes from your diagnostic radiology coding options in 2011, as follows: 76150 -- Xeroradiography 76350 -- Subtraction in conjunction with contrast studies 76880 -- Ultrasound, extremity, nonvascular, real time with image documentation. You're unlikely to miss 76150 (which describes a type of x-ray in which the image is recorded on paper rather than on film) or 76350 (software now performs subtraction, so your documentation probably hasn't supported reporting 76350 for quite some time). On the other hand, if you perform nonvascular extremity ultrasounds, you may wonder what you'll do without 76880. The answer is that you'll have two new codes appropriate for these ultrasounds. The first specifies "complete," and the second is for "limited, anatomic specific": 76881 -- Ultrasound, extremity, nonvascular, real-time with image documentation; complete 76882 -- ... limited, anatomic specific.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
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