Wiki Coding Stress Echocardiogram: 93350 vs 93351

[cardiocoder]

How should stress echo's be coded?

Assume patient is attached to EKG leads, runs on a treadmill, then lays on bed and gets scanned. Physician is there to supervise the test, dictates report for EKG portion and then dictates a report for echo portion.

These are the possibilities using medicare rates:

Office:
93015 (stress EKG) + 93350 (Stress Echo Images) = $371.75

Hospital:
93016,93018 (Stress EKG Interpretation and Report) + 93350-26 (Professional Component of stress echo) = $117.89

vs

Office:
93351 (Stress Echo Complete) = $330.35

Hospital:
93351-26 (Stress Echo Professional) = $133.05

When would you select 93350 vs 93351?

 

[dclark7]

93015 is a column two code for 93350 and you cannot use a modifier per NCCI edits. If the physician is supervising then the correct code is 93351.

 

[cardiocoder]

93015 is a column two code for 93350 and you cannot use a modifier per NCCI edits. If the physician is supervising then the correct code is 93351.

what would u code for

1. outpatient stress echo (where physician owns equipment)

2. Hospital stress echo (where hospital owns equipment)

 

[cardiocoder]

On one site I saw: "Bill codes 93015?93018 if the stress test is performed
in a hospital setting, along with procedure code 93350.
If the stress test and echocardiogram are performed in an
office, bill combined code 93351. "

Outpatient where physician owns equipment:
93351

Inpatient where hospital owns equipment:
93350-26, 93016, 93018

 

[AmandaBriggs]

On one site I saw: "Bill codes 93015?93018 if the stress test is performed
in a hospital setting, along with procedure code 93350.
If the stress test and echocardiogram are performed in an
office, bill combined code 93351. "

Outpatient where physician owns equipment:
93351

Inpatient where hospital owns equipment:
93350-26, 93016, 93018

I agree with the above. You may also be able to bill 93320 for Doppler and 93325 for Color Flow if done.

Thanks, Amanda