Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: We bill diskography per level. Should I also bill CPT 72295 per level, or only once per procedure?

Arkansas Subscriber

 Answer: You should bill radiological supervision and interpretation (72295, Diskography, lumbar, radiological supervision and interpretation) per level to match the diskography procedure (62290*, Injection procedure for diskography, each level; lumbar).

 Submit the claim via hard copy with documentation, and include modifier -26 (Professional component) for each level reported. When you report 72295 with 62290 you are indicating that the physician attended the entire procedure and completed a written report of the findings. Modifier -26 indicates that the hospital or facility owns the equipment and is responsible for the equipment and technician. The "supervising and interpreting" physician reads the x-rays and completes a full dictated report.

  You Be the Coder and Reader Questions were provided by Kim Arnett, CPC, a coder with Georgia Anesthesiologists PC, in Marietta, Ga.