Wiki CPT codes 71010 and 74000

[trwilson]

I work in a hospital in the radiology deparment. One of our hospitals bills a combination code that they created that links CPT codes 71010 and 74000 together. They want to add this combo code to our hospital's data base, but I have a problem with it. They are only doing one image; they just happen to be showing the chest frontal view and the abdomen anteroposterior view both on the same image. My question is, does anyone else think this is wrong? I believe in order to genuinely charge for both of these exams, you should do two separate images. Does anyone disagree?

Thanks.

 

[armen]

I work in a hospital in the radiology deparment. One of our hospitals bills a combination code that they created that links CPT codes 71010 and 74000 together. They want to add this combo code to our hospital's data base, but I have a problem with it. They are only doing one image; they just happen to be showing the chest frontal view and the abdomen anteroposterior view both on the same image. My question is, does anyone else think this is wrong? I believe in order to genuinely charge for both of these exams, you should do two separate images. Does anyone disagree?

Thanks.

I agree, it sounds fishy. the following may help:
74000-Films are taken of the abdominal cavity in one view from front to back. Because an abdominal x-ray usually precedes another diagnostic imaging procedure, it is not coded separately unless performed as a separately identifiable examination.

 

[trwilson]

Thanks so much for the reply. I agree completely and will relay this to the radiologist that wants to charge the codes.