Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Capture separate specimens to boost your bottom line.If your pathologist examines a cervical colposcopy case, you might find yourself underreporting or running afoul of bundling rules.Read the following case description, then see what steps our experts recommend to help you tackle three coding challenges it presents.First, Read Over the Case NoteDiagnosis: Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN] grade III, with severe dysplasia.Procedure: During colposcopy, the surgeon used a loop electrode to excise a lesion on the exocervix with adequate margins. She then performed a second loop electrode excision of the involved portion of the endocervix, followed by a curette sampling of the upper excision boundary to ensure complete removal of the dysplasia. Surgeon's procedure code: 57461 (Colposcopy of the cervix including upper/adjacent vagina; with loop electrode conization of the cervix).The pathologist examined specimens and assigned diagnoses as follows:Specimen A -- Exocervix loop electrocautery excisional procedure (LEEP) conization: CIN grade III, margins clearSpecimen B -- [...]