Pulmonology Coding Alert

Ensure the presence of a physician when conducting these tests. If you find it hard to differentiate between the two codes for pulmonary stress test, the key is to look out for clues in their descriptions. A physician orders pulmonary stress testing on patients who complain of shortness of breath. The test allows the physician to determine if the underlying cause is heart disease or lung disease. If you'd have to code this test, you have two codes to choose from: 94620 -- Pulmonary stress testing; simple [e.g., six-minute walk test, prolonged exercise test for bronchospasm with pre- and post-spirometry and oximetry] 94621 -- Pulmonary stress testing; complex (including measurements of CO2 production, O2 uptake, and electrocardiographic recordings). 'Simple' and 'Complex' Splits the Difference When you're coding 94620 and 94621, you would find that the words 'simple' and 'complex' differentiate one from the other. However, these words aren't enough to look forhints. [...]