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Tympanoplasty with temporalis fascia graft

L

Lainie0559

Networker
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62
Location
Punta Gorda, FL
The doctor harvested a supra auricular temporalis fascia graft and set aside. Later in the procedure he placed the graft trans-canal (tympanoplasty). I came up with 69631 and 15769.

Is it correct to bill the harvesting of the graft with this procedure?
 
Was the graft taken for the countralateral side from the tympanoplasty ear? Harvesting the graft on the same side as the tympanoplasty is usually considered inclusive.
 
FASCIA graft is an integral part of a Tympanoplasty so not separately billable- even with separate incision. It states this in the AMA Coders Desk Reference. Cartilage harvesting however IS separately billable if separate incision (and closure is documented).
 
elsaee87 said:
FASCIA graft is an integral part of a Tympanoplasty so not separately billable- even with separate incision. It states this in the AMA Coders Desk Reference. Cartilage harvesting however IS separately billable if separate incision (and closure is documented).
Click to expand...
where does it state it specifically? I can see the fascia can be harvested but where does it state specifically you can't bill for the fascia graft?
 
As per CPT assisatnat

The August 2008 CPT Assistant discusse is harvested from either the temporalis fascia or other locations (ie, vein, periosteum, or conchal cartilage perichondrium). Occasionally, a graft is used from material other than autogenous tissue. If the temporalis fascia graft is harvested through a separate donor incision, the harvesting should be reported separately from the tympanoplasty.



The August 2008 coding guidance supersedes the March 2007CPT Assistant instruction, as it agrees with the general CPT convention that graft harvest is reported separately under these conditions: (1) when obtained through a different incision: and (2) when the descriptor language does not specify graft harvest as integral to a service.

we can billed CPT 15769 seperately
 
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