Wiki 2019- ban on billing 33860 and 33870 together CT surgery

[maryann.douglas]

Some of my physicians perform the 'elephant trunk procedure' which includes replacing the ascending aorta and a total arch replacement with reimplantation of the head vessels. We have a new code for hemiarch but the total arch can no longer be billed with ascending. With this procedure another graft is anastamosed to the distal end of the arch graft so that the descending aorta can then also be replaced by endograft. Ascending, arch and descending aorta are all replaced. Any CT surgery coders out there who think this ban is a mistake?

 

[Patty Basa]

It is quite and odd rewriting of the rule. I know in the past Hemi arch was always a concern and could not be billed unless the head vessels were done as well. My physicians are also concerned as they do full arch replacements as well and there is no allowance for a full arch replacement, only the hemi arch with 33866. Have you heard anything new since your post?