Endocrinology Coding Alert
Reader Question: Update Payers on New Infertility Lab Codes
Question: I thought the point of the new "Reproductive Medicine Procedures" section in the 2004 CPT was to facilitate reimbursements on all these new technologies. Why am I having trouble getting paid on a claim with 89335 (Cryopreservation, reproductive tissue, testicular)?
North Carolina Subscriber
Answer: You're right - the new section gives endocrinologists specializing in reproduction and infertility 15 new codes to work with. Your problem getting paid may be because some insurance companies fall a bit behind in updating their procedure codes. As soon as the company updates its records to reflect the new codes, your problem should be solved.
Even with all the new codes, there are some gray areas still due to the complex and rapidly changing nature of this high-tech specialty. However, the new lab codes will give coders much more to work with. CPT groups the new section's procedures by type:
These codes are all nonphysician procedures performed by highly specialized clinical laboratories, so remember to also report E/M services that a physician provides at the same time.
- Published on 2004-02-10
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