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Cardiology Coding Alert

Reimbursement Strategies for Treating Patients After Cardiac Surgery
After a patient undergoes cardiac surgery, the surgeon often passes the care of the patien... Read more
Coding Case Study:
Proper Documentation Crucial To Increased Reimbursement
Poor documentation by cardiologists places limits on how well insurance carriers will reim... Read more
Some Medicare Carriers Now Accept Indications for Cardiovascular Stress Tests
Although some insurance carriers bundle cardiovascular stress tests in evaluation and mana... Read more
Reader Question:
Nursing Facility Codes
Question: We have two hospitals in our area with which we are affiliated. Both now have a ... Read more
Reader Question:
ECG for Patient on High-risk Medications
Question: What diagnosis code would you suggest for an ECG 93000 performed to obtain a bas... Read more
Reader Question:
Black Box Edit for Cartoid Artery Study
Question: I was always told to use procedure codes 93875 and 93880 to code carotid artery ... Read more
Critical Care, Event Recorder Modifications Top List of CPT 2000 Changes
CPT 2000 lists a number of important changes for cardiologists, including new codes for ev... Read more
Tips for Billing Non-coronary Procedures With Heart Caths
Cardiologists should consider using modifier -59 (distinct procedural service) to avoid de... Read more
Four Simple Guidelines to Help Minimize Observation Denials
Although coding for observation can be frustrating because of differing hospital, Medicare... Read more
Reader Question:
Radiology Coding for Thallium Stress Tests
Question: For performing a Thallium stress test (the treadmill portion would be in our o... Read more
Reader Question:
Correct Catheterization and Imaging Coding
Question: Our question concerns reporting an abdominal aortogram at the time of cardiac ca... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding for Dobutamine Stress Echos
Question: Our office is interested in performing dobutamine stress echos. We bill 93350/93... Read more
How to Code Correctly for Pacemaker Insertion and Removal
Proper coding tactics can overcome the main hassles in pacemaker billing, our experts sa... Read more
For Tests, Medical Necessity is the Ultimate Diagnosis Code Guideline
Many cardiology coders have the false impression that they must use a pretest diagnosis wh... Read more
Appealing a Third-party Payer's Inappropriate Test Denial
The following letter is an example of the sort of written communication you can send a thi... Read more
Navigating Between New and Established Patient Codes Can Increase Reimbursement
Payers reimburse physicians at a higher rate for new patient visits (99201-99205) than for... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding for Pacemaker Upgrade
Question: How would you code a replacement of a single-chamber pacemaker with a dual-chamb... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing for Holter Monitor
Question: In the July 1999 issue of CCA on page 52, it was asked What is the correct date ... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier -58 Indicates Stent is Staged Procedure
Question: A right and left catheter (93526), coronary angiography (93545), stent (92980) w... Read more
Latest Medicare Clarification on Consultations Gets Mixed Reviews
Cardiologists, like all medical specialists, often are called on to share their expertise ... Read more
Flagging Patients as Uninsurable:
Ethical Issues Complicate Coding for Multiple Valve Disorders
Unlike most coding issues cardiology practices face, the confusion with multiple valve dis... Read more
Case Study:
Billing for Multiple Stents in the Same Vessel
Coding for cardiology procedures that include multiple stents in the same vessel can be co... Read more
Reader Question:
Catheter, PTCA/Stent Procedures
Question: Which codes and/or modifiers should I use when one cardiologist performs a cathe... Read more
Reader Question:
E/M and Pacemaker Reprogramming
Question: How do you obtain reimbursement for reprogramming of a pacemaker and an evaluati... Read more
Reader Question:
Peripheral vs. Coronary Interventions
Question: Can you help us determine the coding between peripheral intervention (PTA and st... Read more
Maximize Reimbursement for ECG Overreads
Cardiologists often review ECGs at the request of other physicians or hospitals who want a... Read more
Telemedicine Codes Useful for Billing Event Recording
Telemedicine has experienced rapid growth in recent years, with cardiologists, payers and ... Read more
Therapeutic Transcatheter Codes---Hard to Find But Worth It
CPT 1999 contains a useful group of codes that can be hard to find because the names assig... Read more
Contact You Carrier Before Billing New Conscious Sedation Codes
Cardiologists use conscious sedationsometimes known as IV sedationfor heart catheters. But... Read more
Sorting Through the Confusion of Prolonged Service Codes Pays Off
For cardiologists who often find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time with pat... Read more
How to Bill for Holter Monitors
Holter monitors are standard tools used by cardiologists to diagnose cardiac rhythm irre... Read more
Don't Bill Medicare for Prolonged Services Without Direct Patient Contact
Suppose a patient presents with restenosis after angioplasty and a review of multiple prev... Read more
Dont Confuse Prolonged Service Codes With Counseling or
Many coders are billing prolonged services (99354-99357) when they should be applying the ... Read more
Case Study:
Coding for Stress Tests During Long-term Follow-up Care
Coding Dilemma The scenario is a common one in cardiology practices: The patient returns f... Read more
Reader Question:
Tilt Table Test?
Question: We are getting a tilt table soon, but until then, our cardiologists are trying t... Read more
Reader Question:
Reimbursement for Vtach IV
Question: A patient shows up at the office in ventricular tachycardia. After seeing the pa... Read more
Optimize Nuclear Medicine Coding:
Thallium Stress Test
When the chart reads, thallium stress test, how do you code? Very carefully, experts war... Read more
Increase Nuclear Medicine Coding Reimbursement by Understanding Imaging Definitions
Caveat: You may not be able to rely on the name of the procedure alone in order to correct... Read more
More Precise ICD-9 Codes Key:
Tips to Avoid 'Dump' Codes When Billing for Angina
The terms for angina pectoris seem to be endless (angina decubitus, prinzmetal angina, pre... Read more
Case Study:
93508 vs. Left Heart Catheter
Case Description/Op ReportA 79-year-old man undergoes percutaneous transluminal coronary a... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier 59 and S&I Codes
Question: When a cath and a PTCA are performed on the same day, in the same setting, why d... Read more
Reader Question:
Diagnostic Coding for Echocardiogram
Question: When we perform echocardiograms for a primary care physician, is it appropriate ... Read more
Tricks of the Cardiology Cath Trade:
How to Optimize Reimbursement and Decrease Denials
Editors note: Five years ago, the CPT editorial panel adopted an entirely new coding syste... Read more
Case Study:
Cardiology or Interventional Radiology Codes? How to Bill for Pulmonary Angiogram
Case DescriptionPulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most common cause of death in the Uni... Read more
Reader Question:
Radiology vs. Cardiology Codes
Question: When billing a 93544 (injection procedure for aortography), should I bill one or... Read more
Reader Question:
Right Heart vs. Swan-Ganz
Question: What is the difference between 93501 (right heart cath) and 93503 (insertion and... Read more
Reader Question:
Cath Now, PTCA/Stent Later
Question: If a cardiologist performs a left heart cath on the 25th of one month and comes ... Read more
Complacent Coding for Hypertension Can Shortchange Your Practice
Just because hypertension (401-405) is a common diagnosis for cardiology practices doesn... Read more
How to Create a Superbill That Works for Your Cardiology Practice, Not Against It
It clearly pays to maintain a well-designed superbillan outdated one can cause denials, tr... Read more
Coding Case Study:
Coding for Coronary Stent vs. PTCA
Case Description and ProcedureA 73-year-old female undergoes stent placement. Before revie... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding for Second Opinions
Question: A patients family asked our cardiologist to review a coronary angiogram and give... Read more
Reader Question:
Date Influences Payment for Pacemaker Analysis
Question: What date is used for billing purposes for pacemaker analysis? Do you use the da... Read more
Reader Question:
Getting Paid for Stress Test and an EKG
Question: Why are insurance companies bundling EKGs with stress tests? Yet if we request a... Read more
Reader Question:
(Correction) Coding Elective Cardioversion With Critical Care
Question: On page 2 of the article Emergency Department Coding for Cardiology Practices in... Read more
Modifiers Critical When Coding for Terminated Procedures
When a procedure fails, do you have to lose money, too? What modifiers can you attach to... Read more
Money- (and Sanity-) Saving Tips for Decreasing Denials
Some coders, who want claims off their desk as soon as possible, tend to file first and de... Read more
Coding Case Study:
Patient with a Failed Defibrillator
Editors Note: If you have a cardiology case you would like to submit for consideration, pl... Read more
Clarifications/Differing Opinions/Corrections
HPSA ClarificationIn the February 1999 issue of CCA (page 13), we urged readers to check t... Read more
Intra-Office Consulting -- What You Dont Know Could Make You Money -- or Cost You An Audit
Executive Summary: In a large group practice, its quite common for a non-invasive cardiol... Read more
HPSA Alert:
Earn 10% Bonus on Qualified Cardiology Services
Executive Summary: Many cardiology coders, who are located in urban settings, have heard a... Read more
Reader Question:
Coumadin Controversy
Question: How should we code for management of coumadin therapy?Anonymous SubscriberAnswer... Read more
Reader Question:
Chemical Cardioversion
Reviewed on May 22, 2015 Question: How do we code chemical cardioversion? The chemical... Read more
Correct E/M Code Critical to Reimbursement for ED Cardiology Visits
Seeing patients who present with chest pains in the emergency department is par for the ... Read more
Correct Usage of Fourth and/or Fifth Digit Key to Cutting Claim Denials
Of the nine diagnostic codes most rejected by Medicare for lack of specificity, four of th... Read more
Code Carefully for Medical Closure Devices, and Increase Chances of Reimbursement
Rumor had it that vascular closure devices would be unbundled from cardiac catheterizati... Read more
Recoup Reimbursement From Patients with Medicare Waiver
Unless youre diligent about seeing that your practices Medicare patients sign a waiver of ... Read more
Reader Question:
Iliac Angioplasty and Stent at the Same Time
Question: When doing an iliac angioplasty and iliac stent in the same session, which proce... Read more
Reader Question:
Fifth Digit Coding for MI
Question: Please explain the proper use of the fifth digit subclassification for diagnosti... Read more
Available Years:  1999  1998