Radiology Coding Alert

Watch for unilateral and bilateral services to be sure you have the proper code.Renal angiography sports four new codes effective Jan. 1, 2012. Key elements distinguishing the codes include whether the service is first order or higher and whether the service is unilateral or bilateral:36251, Selective catheter placement (first-order), main renal artery and any accessory renal artery(s) for renal angiography, including arterial puncture and catheter placement(s), fluoroscopy, contrast injection(s), image postprocessing, permanent recording of images, and radiological supervision and interpretation, including pressure gradient measurements when performed, and flush aortogram when performed; unilateral36252, ... bilateral36253, Superselective catheter placement (one or more second order or higher renal artery branches) renal artery and any accessory renal artery(s) for renal angiography, including arterial puncture, catheterization, fluoroscopy, contrast injection(s), image postprocessing, permanent recording of images, and radiological supervision and interpretation, including pressure gradient measurements when performed, and flush aortogram when performed; unilateral36254, ... bilateral.Tip: When [...]