Advanced Search

Anesthesia Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Use 32551 to Crosswalk to Anesthesia Code

Published on Fri Mar 20, 2009

Question: Ive heard that a chest tube exchange is coded 49423 (Exchange of previously placed abscess or cyst drainage catheter under radiological guidance [separate procedure]). Which crosswalk should I use? New Hampshire Subscriber Answer: Use code 32551 (Tube thoracostomy, includes water seal [e.g., for abscess, hemothorax, empyema], when performed [separate procedure]) to crosswalk to the anesthesia code for a chest tube insertion (00520, Anesthesia for closed chest procedures; [including bronchoscopy] not otherwise specified). This is a better code selection than 49423. A chest tube insertion is in the pleural space between the pleural membranes that surround the lungs and the chest cavity. The code you suggest is intraperitoneal -- within the peritoneal cavity, the area that contains the abdominal organs.
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

Anesthesia Coding Alert

View All