Eli's Rehab Report

Reader Question:

Report Intradiskal Injection by Site

Question: How should I code an intradiskal injection?

Texas Subscriber

Answer: Before you report this injection, confirm exactly what type of injection the physiatrist administered, and where he injected the substance. Code intervertebral disk injections with 62292 (Injection procedure for chemonucleolysis, including diskography, intervertebral disk, single or multiple levels, lumbar). Report 62290 (Injection procedure for diskography, each level; lumbar) or 62291 (... cervical or thoracic), depending on the area injected, for any diskography procedures.

If the physiatrist used a spinal cord injection to administer anesthesia agents, use the appropriate single injection or continuous infusion code: 62310 (Injection, single [not via indwelling catheter], not including neurolytic substances, with or without contrast [for either localization or epidurography], of diagnostic or therapeutic substance[s] [including anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid, steroid, other solution], epidural or subarachnoid; cervical or thoracic), 62311 (... lumbar, sacral [caudal]), 62318 (Injection, including catheter placement, continuous infusion or intermittent bolus, not including neurolytic substances, with or without contrast [for either localization or epidurography], of diagnostic or therapeutic substance[s] [including anesthetic,
antispasmodic, opioid, steroid, other solution], epidural or subarachnoid; cervical or thoracic) or 62319 (... lumbar, sacral [caudal]).

If the physiatrist administered a neurolytic substance to destroy the nerve, you should report 62280 (Injection/infusion of neurolytic substance [e.g., alcohol, phenol, iced saline solutions], with or without other therapeutic substance; subarachnoid), 62281 (... epidural, cervical or thoracic) or 62282 (... epidural, lumbar, sacral [caudal]).

 

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