Advanced Search

Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Judge 88172 by Payer

Published on Fri Jul 09, 2010

Question: During a breast fine needle aspiration (FNA), the surgeon submitted an aspirate to our pathologist for an adequacy check. Because the pathologist did not find enough cells for diagnosis, the surgeon aspirated and submitted a second sample from the same lesion for an adequacy check. The pathologist reviewed slides from the second pass and determined that enough material was present for diagnosis. Our pathologist later went on to examine the aspirate and provide a diagnostic report to the surgeon. How should we code this scenario?Texas SubscriberAnswer: The answer to your question depends partly on the payer. The correct codes for the scenario are 88172 (Cytopathology, evaluation of fine needle aspirate;  mmediate cytohistologic study to determine adequacy of specimen[s]) and 88173 (...interpretation and report). The payer variation has to do with how many units of service you can report for the 88172 adequacy check.Based on longstanding practice advocated by professional organizations [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

View All