Anesthesia Coding Alert
Reader Question:
Use 64640 for RF of SI Joint
Published on Thu May 13, 2004
Question: How should I bill a radiofrequency of the SI (sacroiliac) joint? Answer: Because pain management physicians perform this procedure more frequently than ever before, many pain coders are stumped by the lack of a code for this service. In addition, CPT's lumbo/sacral and cervical/thoracic rhizotomy codes don't really describe the procedure. The American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) and other experts recommend that coders report the 20-unit code 64640 (Destruction by neurolytic agent; other peripheral nerve or branch) for this service.
Vermont Subscriber
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