Urology Coding Alert

Key: Avoid overcoding accusations and denials when your urologist also performs a cystectomy.Urinary diversions are commonplace in urology Practice , but coding for these procedures is anything but ordinary. Multiple code options and co-surgeon coding rules complicate urinary diversion cases -- but if you follow four tips, you'll choose the correct code every time.1. Let Conduit vs. Continent Diversion Guide Your CodingWhen your urologist says he performed a urinary diversion, your first step toward the proper code is to determine whether he used a conduit or continent diversion procedure.If your urologist performed a conduit, you'll choose one of the following codes:50815 -- Ureterocolon conduit, including intestine anastomosis50820 -- Ureteroileal conduit (ileal bladder), including intestine anastomosis (Bricker operation).If, on the other hand, he performed a continent diversion, choose between these two codes:50825 -- Continent diversion, including intestine anastomosis using any segment of small and/or large intestine (Kock pouch or Camey enterocystoplasty)50810 -- Ureterosigmoidostomy, with creation [...]