Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Missing multiple 88304 specimens could cost your practice $125. Busting the polyps' "s" myth and identifying separately billable nasal specimens could add hundreds of dollars to a pathology claim. Last month you learned the ropes with Pathology/Lab Coding Alert's "Employ 5 Tips to Identify Proper Nasal Specimen Codes." This month make sure you're not falling into two common coding traps by trying your hand at these two questions; then checking your answers opposite. Question 1: The lab receives the following tissue individually labeled by the surgeon: right septum polyp, left septum polyp, and left lateral nasal polyp. The pathologist microscopically examines representative portions of tissue from each sample and individually reports each specimen as "nasal polyps." How should you code the case? Question 2: The pathologist receives tissue in one container labeled "sinus contents and turbinates" for a patient with a clinical diagnosis of chronic sinusitis. The material consists of [...]