Eli's Rehab Report

Published on Fri Aug 05, 2005 PDF

Question: I am looking for an ICD-9 code for a lumbar puncture in which our physiatrist administered medicine. Would this be therapeutic code 62272?


Texas Subscriber

Answer: You shouldn't report 62272 (Spinal puncture, therapeutic, for drainage of cerebrospinal fluid [by needle or catheter]) because this code is for draining of cerebral spinal fluid rather than injecting medication.

A better selection is 62311 (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; lumbar, sacral [caudal]), but use of this code depends on the medication your physiatrist injected.

If looking for ICD-9 procedure code, look at 99.2 (Injection or infusion of other therapeutic or prophylactic substance) with either 03.91 (Injection of anesthetic into spinal canal for analgesia) or 03.92 (Injection of other agent into spinal canal).