Primary Care Coding Alert

Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.


Question: When a patient comes in for a B-12 injection, is it correct to assign code 90782? Are there other codes to consider as well?

Florida Subscriber



Answer: Whether other codes can be used depends on the circumstances surrounding the patients visit. If your office scheduled the B-12 injection in advance and that is the only service rendered on that day, 90782 (therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic injection [specify material injected]; subcutaneous or intramuscular) would be the appropriate code.

If the injection is provided during a prescheduled office visit, you simply would assign the relevant evaluation and management code (99201-99205, new patient, or 99211-99215, established patient). In both instances, it also would be appropriate to assign a J-code because this series of codes is intended for reimbursement of drugs administered in ways other than orally. In this situation, J3420 (injection, vitamin B-12 cyanocobalamin, up to 1,000 mcg) should be assigned.