Eli's Rehab Report

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Limited or Single-Extremity EMG?

Question: My physiatrist circled 95860 on an electromyography (EMG) report. His EMG dictation states, Vastus lateralis: L normal; Tibialis anterior: L normal; and Gastrocnemius: L normal. Does this documentation meet the criteria to report 95860?

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Answer: You should not report 95860 (Needle electromyography; one extremity with or without related paraspinal areas) unless the physician tested at least five muscles per limb, according to the Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPSIC) local medical review policy.
 
In your case, the physician addressed only three muscles on the patients left leg, so you should instead report 95870 (Needle electromyography; limited study of muscles in one extremity or non-limb [axial] muscles [unilateral or bilateral], other than thoracic paraspinal, cranial nerve supplied muscles, or sphincters).
 
The WPSIC LMRP indicates that you should report 95870 at one unit per extremity (one limb, arm or leg), when fewer than five muscles are examined, which means you should report one unit of 95870 for the physiatrists services.

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