|
New options substitute 49420 intended for tunneled catheter. Deciding on an intraperitoneal catheter insertion used to mean you have to decide between "permanent" and "temporary" -- but CPT 2011 has changed all that. At present you'll require to know in case the procedure is open, laparoscopic, or percutaneous so that you could choose the proper code and be accurate in your general surgery coding. Read on for general surgery billing and coding expert insight and get all the pay you are worthy of by the proper execution the following listed new and revised codes for intraperitoneal catheters: 49324 (revised) -- Laparoscopy, surgical; including insertion of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter 49418 (new) -- Insertion of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter (for instance, dialysis, intraperitoneal chemotherapy instillation, management of ascites), whole procedure, including imaging guidance, catheter placement, contrast injection once executed, as well as the radiological supervision including interpretation, percutaneous 49419 (revised) -- Insertion of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter, including subcutaneous port (i.e., totally implantable) 49421 (revised) – When tunneled intraperitoneal catheter is inserted for dialysis, open 49422 (revised) -- Elimination of tunneled intraperitoneal catheter. 1. Should Use 'Tunneled' Instead of 'Permanent' CPT 2011 gives a makeover to coding for intraperitoneal catheters which is used for things like chemotherapy or dialysis. The new coding separates the difference between 'permanent' and 'temporary' intraperitoneal catheters. CPT 2011 removes 49420 (Insertion of intraperitoneal cannula or catheter for drainage or dialysis; temporary) and revises 49421 from its 2010 definition (… permanent). The 2011 codes also do away with the word "permanent" from 49324, 49419, and 49422. Update terminology: The revised codes also do away with the word "cannula" from the definitions, as surgeons commonly execute these procedures with catheters only. CPT 2011 adds the term "tunneled" to define the catheters. 2. Choose Catheter Insertion by Approach CPT 2011 differentiates the codes based on whether the surgeon carries out the procedure percutaneously, laparoscopically, or through an open approach, which indeed makes more sense. You should use 49324 for a laparoscopic procedure, 49418 for a percutaneous service, and 49421 for an open insertion. 3. Capture Port and Removal In case your surgeon inserts a tunneled intraperitoneal catheter with a subcutaneous port, you should always report 49419 in place of one of the other codes. Search for terms like "totally implantable" to define the kind of catheter that includes a port. CPT also offers a code for instances when your surgeon removes a tunneled intraperitoneal catheter -- 49422. Don't use this code for removing a non-tunneled catheter -- use an appropriate E/M code instead, according to CPT instruction. In case the surgeon substitutes an existing tunneled catheter, you should not report 49422 along with the insertion code. You should report simply the insertion code when the surgeon gets rid of a tunneled catheter at the similar operative session as placing a new one. Want to know get more expert general surgery billing and coding tips like these? Click here to read the entire article and to get access to our monthly General Surgery Coding Alert: Your practical adviser for ethically optimizing general surgery billing and coding, payment, and efficiency for general surgery practices Read more to perfect your general surgery billing and coding: http://www.supercoder.com/articles/articles-alerts/gca/cpt-2011-49324-49418-49422-5-tips-clarify-revised-intraperitoneal-catheter-coding/
Related Articles -
General Surgery Coding, CPT 2011,
| 
