Wiki 31231 vs 31237

[nlbarnes]

Provider submitted 31231. Would this be 31237-RT due to "A swab was used to take a culture from the right nasal cavity".

 

[thomas7331]

No, a culture is not a biopsy. Biopsy, polypectomy and debridement are all invasive procedures involving removal of tissue, usually for examination by pathology. Taking a culture is just sampling the mucus or body fluids to check for infection and doesn’t require taking any tissue.