You Be the Coder:
Tracheostomy
Published on Mon Dec 31, 2012
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
Question: A patient is rushed into the emergency room with damage to the throat that is so severe, it is preventing the patient from breathing. The patient is given a tracheostomy. How would you code this? In addition, how would you code a tracheostomy procedure that results from the presence of a tumor, if it is planned and a bronchoscopy is performed at the same time?
Illinois Subscriber
Answer: For emergency procedures, there are two standard codes: 31603 (tracheostomy, emergency procedure; transtracheal) or 31605 (tracheostomy, emergency procedure; cricothyroid membrane). The code is picked based on the location and method of the incision, crycothyroid membrane or transtracheal (across the trachea).
If a basic tracheostomy procedure is planned, use 31600 (tracheostomy, planned [...]
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