Radiology Coding Alert

Question: What code should we report if the physician documents a "HIDA scan"?

Colorado Subscriber

Answer: You should report CPT 78223 (Hepatobiliary ductal system imaging, including gallbladder, with or without pharmacologic intervention, with or without quantitative measurement of gallbladder function) for the scan and A9510 (Supply of radiopharmaceutical diagnostic imaging agent, technetium Tc 99m disofenin, per vial) for the material that you inject.
 
The actual injection procedure itself is included in the reimbursement for 78223, so you should not report a separate intravenous injection code to reflect the physician's work injecting the radiopharmaceutical.
 
A hydroxy iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan is an imaging test that physicians use to examine the gallbladder and the ducts leading into and out of it.  Physicians often perform these tests to determine whether patients have duct obstructions.
 
During this test, also referred to as cholescinti-graphy, the physician performs an intravenous injection of a radioactive material called hydroxy iminodiacetic acid.