Pulmonology Coding Alert

The Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) version 8.1, effective April 1, does not dramatically impact pulmonology practices. There are two minor CCI additions in the comprehensive and component categories. In the comprehensive category, bronchoscopy codes (31615-31656) are bundled with anesthesia code 00520, which effectively incorporates anesthesia with a bronchoscopy. Likewise in the component category, 31615-31656 are bundled with 00520.

"There is nothing new here. CCI is telling coders that you cannot bill for anesthesia for closed chest procedures when doing a bronchoscopy," says Carol Pohlig,BSN, RN, CPC, a reimbursement analyst for the office of clinical documentation in the department of medicine of the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. "Usually if the anesthesia is provided by the same provider group, you dont bill separately for any type of anesthesia. It is incorporated into the bronchoscopy. Typically we dont bill for the anesthesia service, and CCI is now making sure no one attempts to bill for it."