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Pediatric Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Know the Ropes for Lead Testing

Published on Thu Aug 18, 2011

Question: How often can we bill for lead screenings? And which diagnosis code should we report for a patient who is found to have an elevated lead level?Kansas SubscriberAnswer: The AAP recommends testing at 12 and 24 months on its Bright Futures chart (http://brightfutures.aap.org/pdfs/AAP%20Bright%20Futures%20Periodicity%20Sched%20101107.pdf). Alternately, you can offer lead screening assessments at the monthly visits to determine whether a lead screening test is medically necessary.If you do discover a patient with an elevated lead level, you'll report 790.6 (Lead abnormal blood level). If the patient has any signs or symptoms of toxicity (such as vomiting, anemia, or headaches), you should report those codes as appropriate as well.
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