Anesthesia Coding Alert

Also, watch for a swapped modifier when reporting a GON block. Pain management coders won't be able to miss the new edits the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) has included for fluoroscopic guidance. If you're not up on the changes in version 16.1, you may try to separately report fluoroscopic guidance. The new bundling edits won't allow as of April 1, 2010. Version 16.1 is the second CCI update of the year. This version includes 2,054 new active pairs and 1,947 modifier changes, says Frank D. Cohen, MPA, MBB, senior analyst with MIT Solutions, Inc. in Clearwater, Fla. Here's what you need to know about the top 16.1 edits that will affect your pain management practice. Look Before You Leap With Fluoroscopic Guidance Version 16.1 bundles one fluoroscopic needle guidance code -- 77002 (Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement [e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device]) -- into several pain management procedures. Some you might [...]