Wiki How to search for Category II and III CPT codes

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lauraleerdh

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Hello,
I'm going through the AAPC program for Medical coding. The course isn't clear as to how do we search to find the Categorry II and III codes? In the Alphabetic index, I'm not seeing a way to find them. Flipping through the Alphabetic Index, I saw a few II and III codes.. very few.
Does anyone have guidance/tips on how to find them?

Thank you
 
JLeisch said:
In the 2023 CPT book Category II starts on page 857 and end on 877. Category III 879-929.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your response.

I don't think I communicated myself well.
I know where the categories II and III are. I understand their purpose. I understand the Alphabetic Index is used to find the codes.
I read the Instruction for the Use of the CPT Index- it didn't provide guidance for this situation.
My question is in regards to the descriptions where logical categories to look under don't exist or provide guidance to the correct code.
How to proceed and find the needed code efficiently and in a timely manner.

two examples:
How to find this Category III code with the description of "AJCC Breast Cancer State 0 documented (ONC)" ?
In the alphabetic Index, i looked under cancer...no section for cancer. I looked under Breast...its not under breast. I looked under tumor, not there. I looked under Examination - no examination category. 5 minutes later I still hadn't found anything to guide me to this code.

another example: "Heart Failure Assessed" - there isn't an assessment category, nor an examination or failure category. Its not under cardiac, cardiology or heart.

I don't expect the books to spoonfeed me, I'm seeking advice on how to efficiently find the needed code when the descriptions of the code don't fall under a logical category - either the category doesn't exist or a logical category doesn't provide the guidance to the correct code.

I'm seeking how medical coders have learned to find the Category II and III codes efficiently and in a timely manner.

Thank you
 
CRobins504 said:
I just went to the Category 2 section and looked for "AJCC Breast Cancer State 0 documented (ONC)" . I found it on page 869, CPT Code 3370F
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Thank you for replying.

Yes that's what I was doing since I wasn't finding it in the Alphabetic Index....it just doesn't seem to be very efficient to do it that way. Let alone seems to go against what the course is teaching -- to always look in the Alphabetic Index first, then verify and check for more specificity in the Tabular Index. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks again
 
lauraleerdh said:
Hello,
I'm going through the AAPC program for Medical coding. The course isn't clear as to how do we search to find the Categorry II and III codes? In the Alphabetic index, I'm not seeing a way to find them. Flipping through the Alphabetic Index, I saw a few II and III codes.. very few.
Does anyone have guidance/tips on how to find them?

Thank you
Click to expand...
Can anyone help me findind the category 2 in the index section? My book is from Optum and I found them under "Quality Payment Program", but the editions from AAPC and AMA don't have this section. The book and the AMA website aren't "user friendly" about categories 2 and 3.
Thank you.
 
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