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Urology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

52310 vs. 52315: Embedding Makes a Difference

Published on Sun Oct 24, 2010

Question: A patient had stones embedded in the prostatic urethra. My urologist used the grasping forceps to retrieve the stones. I'm confused by the wording in the CPT manual for 52310 and 52315. Which code should I use to report this procedure?Answer: You should report 52315 (Cystourethroscopy, with removal of foreign body, calculus, or ureteral stent from urethra or bladder [separate procedure]; complicated) for the complicated removal of the prostatic urethral stones. This represents urethral calculi that are embedded into the prostatic urethra making their removal much more difficult as the urologist must "dig" the calculi out of the prostate gland. You would use 52310 (... simple) for a simple removal.Assign a diagnosis code using 602.0 (Calculus of prostate) for the prostatic calculi/stones.
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