Primary Care Coding Alert

Question: When a nurse administers 50 mg of Demerol from a multi-dose vial, what unit and price should I submit? Kansas Subscriber Answer: Report one unit of J2175 (Injection, meperidine HCl, per 100 mg). When you bill for a partial supply from a multi-dose vial, you should submit the J code and round up to the closest number of units your nurse administers. Check with your payer regarding price adjustment. Kansas Medicare allows you to bill partial-use multi-dose vials, such as J2175, at full price (48 cents per unit). Some payers will also pay the entire vial's cost, even though the patient may need only a portion of the vial's drug. Other insurers may prefer that you charge only the delivered dose amount. In this case, submit J2175 x 1 unit at 24 cents to indicate 50 mg.