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Pulmonology Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Reporting Imaging Guidance Separately With Thoracentesis? Think Again

Published on Tue Feb 26, 2013

Question: Can physician bill 76942-59 with 32555 when done in hospital or is it bundled with the code?

Minnesota Subscriber Answer: There were two new codes introduced to report a thoracentesis procedure performed by your pulmonologist. If your pulmonologist performs the thoracentesis without the aid of any imaging guidance, you will have to use 32554 (Thoracentesis, needle [...]
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