Differentiate Between 93970 and 93971 for Suspected DVT
Question: A senior patient came into our radiology practice with left calf swelling, tenderness, warmth, and erythema. They’d been experiencing the symptoms for about three days following a long flight back home from New York City. The sonographer performed a complete duplex scan of the lower left extremity veins only, including compression maneuvers of the common femoral, femoral, popliteal, and calf veins. The radiologist’s findings identified noncompressible thrombus in the left popliteal vein, and the patient was started on anticoagulation. Do I report 93970 or 93971 for the procedure? Hawaii Subscriber Answer: Assign 93971 (Duplex scan of extremity veins including responses to compression and other maneuvers; unilateral or limited study) to report the duplex scan of the lower extremity veins on the left leg. The difference between the two codes is that 93970 (… complete bilateral study) is reserved for a study of both legs, while 93971 covers a limited exam or a study of only one leg’s veins. You could also check with the payer to confirm if it prefers a laterality modifier, such as LT (Left side), to indicate which leg the provider evaluated. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
