Anesthesia Coding Alert
Know Injection Location Before Coding
Question: How should I report bilateral spermatic cord injections with bupivicaine and methylprednisolone? Answer: Base your coding on the type of medication used and the injection location. If the physician administered an ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric injection, report 64425 (Injection, anesthetic agent; ilioinguinal, iliohypogastric nerves). Check with the physician before coding the procedure if you aren't certain of the injection location so you can report it correctly.
Indiana Subscriber
HCPCS includes several codes for methylprednisolone; report the appropriate code from J1020-J1040 (Injection, methylprednisolone acetate), depending on the injection amount. Code S0020 (Injection, bupivicaine HCl, 30 ml) applies to bupivacaine; however, some carriers prefer J3590 (Unclassified biologics) instead.
Note: Medicare usually bundles these injections, so check with the carrier before filing them separately.
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