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Radiology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Dig Into DXA for Osteopenia

Published on Mon Sep 06, 2010

Question: If a patient has had DXA exams(77080) for years for osteopenia, is the exam still considered a routine screening test? The patient says the DXA scan is a screening exam and covered 100 percent. Does the DXA scan qualify as a screening exam?Tennessee SubscriberAnswer: This is not a screening if the ordering physician ordered the DXA scan (77080, Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA], bone density study, 1 or more sites; axial skeleton [e.g., hips, pelvis, spine]) because the patient had a previous DXA that showed osteopenia, which is lower than normal bone density that is not yet osteoporosis.However, if the physician ordered the exam before a diagnosis was made and the result shows osteopenia (733.90, Disorder of bone and cartilage, unspecified), then this current exam is still a screening exam. You should report the screening diagnosis (V82.81, Special screening for other conditions; osteoporosis) as the primary, followed by the finding.Smart [...]
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