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Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Know How to Override NCCI 9.2 Consultation Bundles

Published on Fri Aug 01, 2003

If your pathologist performs a consultation on referred material (88321-88325) with a separate cytopathology or surgical pathology service that National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits 9.2 now bundle, you can still report both services by using modifier -59 (Distinct procedural service).

"Just be sure the cytopathology or histopathology service is a distinct and separate procedure from the consultation," says William Dettwyler, MT-AMT, coding analyst for Health Systems Concepts, a laboratory coding and compliance consulting firm in Longwood, Fla.
 
According to NCCI 9.2 , you can no longer report 88321 (Consultation and report on referred slides prepared elsewhere), 88323 (Consultation and report on referred material requiring preparation of slides) or 88325 (Consultation, comprehensive, with review of records and specimens, with report on referred material) with any of the following codes unless you override the edit pair with modifier -59:  
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