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Cardiology Coding Alert

Understand HCFA and CPT Changes to Code Cardiology Procedures More Effectively in 2001
The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) will not eliminate the global period for ... Read more
Case Study:
Correct Modifiers Ensure Payment When Coding Rescue Stent
Our November issue featured a case study in which the cardiologist performed a left card... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing Saline, Atropine Supplies During Stress Test
Question: A patient undergoes a dobutamine stress test (93015, cardiovascular stress test ... Read more
Reader Question:
Left Heart Cath With Multiple Interventions
Question: The patient has a diagnostic left heart cath, coronary angiogram, left ventricu... Read more
Reader Question:
Arterial Catheterization and Critical Care
Question: Is 36620 bundled with 99291? One of our carriers denied our appeal and advised u... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Billing for a Patient Who Discharges AMA
Question: One of our physicians admitted a patient to observation from the emergency depar... Read more
KISS Letter Helps Justify Additional Payment for Cardiology Procedures Using Modifier -22
Cardiologists often have to perform a significant amount of additional work on procedures... Read more
Documentation Is Key to Pay Up for Cardiology Procedures
Cardiology billers should always make sure the procedures listed at the top of an operati... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing Under Ordering Physicians Name
Question: I am billing manager for a group of 22 cardiologists. When we perform a test suc... Read more
Reader Question:
Mitral Valve Replacement
Question: What is the diagnosis code for mitral valve replacement?Texas Subscriber Answer:... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding Abdominal Aortogram
Question: How do I code for a thoracic and abdominal aortogram? The operative report reads... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Critical Care Coding
Question: Is it appropriate to use inpatient admission codes 99221-99223 or inpatient cons... Read more
Understand Carrier Guidelines on Echo Diagnosis Coding to Optimize Payment
Echocardiography is among the most commonly performed cardiology services. Coding these di... Read more
Dont Forget New Codes
As of Oct. 1, 2000, two new codes that affect cardiology practices became effective. The H... Read more
Use Modifier -59 to Get Paid For Temporary Pacer Insertion
Medicares national Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) bundles the insertion of a temporary ... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing Two Interventions in the Same Vessel
Question: If our physician performs two interventions in different branches of the same ve... Read more
Reader Question:
48-hour Holter Monitoring
Question: How do we bill for a 48-hour Holter monitor?Deena WojtkowskiMilwaukee Answer: H... Read more
Reader Question:
Carotid Artery Angioplasty
Question: What code do I use to bill for a transluminal balloon angioplasty of the carotid... Read more
Reader Question:
Consult Criteria
Question: Our cardiologist is billing for a consult and an echocardiogram on the same date... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Billing for Bundled Services
Question: Are codes 93010 or 36489 bundled into critical care code 99291? Michael Granovsk... Read more
Applying PTCA Coding Rules Optimizes Payment
When filing claims for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasties, commonly referred... Read more
Follow HCFA Guidelines to Get Paid for Pacemaker Checks
Unless local Medicare carriers have their own policies regarding pacemaker checks, the Hea... Read more
Administration of Emergent Shock Shouldnt Be Billed Alone
There is no code for defibrillation or cardioversion administered to patients in an emerge... Read more
Reader Question:
Transcatheter Therapy
Question: Can I get paid for 37202 when coded with 92980 or 92982? Is using modifier -59 p... Read more
Reader Question:
AMA Status
Question: We receive a call from the floor nurse saying that our patient is checking out a... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Dobutamine Stress Test
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
HCFA Proposes Elimination of Pacemaker Global Surgery Periods
The Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA) has proposed to remove the global period for... Read more
Three More Proposals Will Affect Cardiologists
Proposal #1:Work RVUs Reduced by 50 Percent or More Based on a formula that estimates the ... Read more
Simple Guidelines to Optimize Cardiac Cath Reimbursement
When billing cardiac catheterizations (heart caths), coders should make sure they bill for... Read more
New HCPCS Code for Optison Announced
Recognizing for the first time that the cost of the contrast agent used during echocardiog... Read more
Case Study:
Pacemaker Repositioning Payment Rests on the Op Report
Pacemaker leads frequently dislodge for a variety of reasons. The lead itself may not func... Read more
Reader Question:
Cardiac Event Recording
Question: At the time we purchased a cardiac event recorder, we noted that there were allo... Read more
Reader Question:
Stress Echo Billing
Question: I would like to know if we can bill 93016 and 93018 in conjunction with each oth... Read more
Reader Question:
Emergency PTCA
Question: How do you code an emergency PTCA with coronary stent? Can you code the PTCA sep... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Coding Thoracic and Abdominal Aortograms
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
New ICD Codes May Eliminate Billing Confusion
Billing for the implantation and/or removal of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD... Read more
Physician/Coder Communication Critical for Billing ED Services
Although many cardiologists routinely bill encounters in the emergency department (ED) as ... Read more
Reader Question:
Conscious Sedation
Question: Can we bill conscious sedation when doing an angio?Deena WojtkowskiCVA Ltd., Mil... Read more
Reader Question:
Inpatient Place of Service
Question: We have the following situation: The patient has the technical component of a di... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Bundling Codes
Question: The cardiologist performs a right and left cath (93526), pacemaker insertion (33... Read more
Avoid Incorrectly Billing for Second Coronary Angiogram
Coronary angiograms performed before therapeutic interventions PTCAs (angioplasties), ath... Read more
Attention Coders:
Op Report Key to Coding 93508 vs. 93510
Cardiologists sometimes confuse 93508 (catheter placement in coronary artery[s], arterial ... Read more
Signs and Symptoms Increase Pay Up and Safeguard Patients
Signs and symptom ICD-9 codes should be used to provide medical necessity for a procedure ... Read more
Coding Exercise
Exercise: Match the diagnoses to their corresponding ICD-9 codes:1. Acute interolateral my... Read more
Medicare Watch:
Coding News From HCFA
New HCPCS Code for External CounterpulsationMedicare has revised its coverage policy on ex... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding Critical Care Time
Question: Could you explain the use of the prolonged physician services (99354-99357)? Som... Read more
Reader Question:
23-hour Stay Codes
Question: Please explain the difference between a 23-hour stay and observation. We now use... Read more
Reader Question:
Hospital Heart Caths Take Modifier -26
Question: When a physician performs a left heart cath (93510) in a hospital setting, does ... Read more
Optimize Pay Up for High-Level E/M Visits
CPT code 99214 is an established patient visit code often reported by cardiology practices... Read more
Case Study:
Clear Operative Report to Get Paid for Vascular Procedures
When billing vascular procedures, coders need to be able to visualize the route the cardi... Read more
Receive Proper Pay Up for MCEs Using Optison
Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE), sometimes referred to as contrast-enhanced ech... Read more
Successive Day Echoes
Question: We are coding from the doctors dictated echo reports. For instance, we had a pat... Read more
Reader Question:
Carotid Scan With Echo Doppler
Question: Our practice recently billed for an echocardiogram using codes 93307, 93320 and ... Read more
Correctly Bill Pacemaker Checks During the Global Period
"Cardiologists need to familiarize themselves with the guidelines on pacemaker chec... Read more
Avoiding Audits:
Be Cautious When Using New Critical Care Codes
Although the words unstable and constant may have been removed from CPT critical care co... Read more
Minimal Exam by Nurse Must Be Documented to Bill 99211
Even though 99211, the level one code for an established patient does not require document... Read more
Coding in the News:
Atrial Fibrillation Forces Former President Bush To Spend Night in Hospital
Former President George Bush spent the night of Feb. 24 at a Florida hospital (99218-99220... Read more
Reader Question:
Consultation in the ER
Question: We are a large cardiology group, and the same question about consults keeps com... Read more
Reader Question:
Adenosine Injections
Question: Could you please provide us with the appropriate HCPCS code for when we give inj... Read more
Increase Reimbursement by Correctly Billing All Aspects of MUGA Scans
When multi-uptake gated acquisition (MUGA) scans are performed to measure various aspects ... Read more
Use Correct Diagnosis Codes To Bill Pre-op Clearance
Code V72.81 (preoperative cardiovascular examination) has been the textbook ICD-9 code t... Read more
Case Study:
Selective Vascular Procedures Can Lead Coders Astray
"Coders need to read through the operative report before billing for a catheter that in fa... Read more
Reader Question:
Inpatient Visit on Same Day as Heart Cath
Question: Our physician is asked to perform a cath and/or PTCA on an inpatient. He goes to... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier -59 Attached to S&I Codes
Question: We need some clarification on the use of the -59 modifier (distinct procedural s... Read more
Reader Question:
Echo, Stress Echo Bundled
Question: If you are doing a stress echo on a patient that hasnt had a recent echo done, a... Read more
Get Paid for E/M Services Performed On the Same Day as Heart Catheterization
Many cardiologists are uncertain about billing evaluation and management (E/M) visits on t... Read more
7 Tips to Boost ECG Payments
"Getting paid for electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretations can be challenging. Cardiologist... Read more
Maximize Reimbursement For Cardiac Event Monitors
Event monitors often are used by cardiologists to track a patients heart condition. Billin... Read more
Reader Question:
Observation Codes
Question: We have two patients that go into the hospital once a week for Med IV treatment ... Read more
Reader Question:
Tilt Table Coding
Question: I need CPT coding information regarding tilt table testing. I have been given tw... Read more
Available Years:  2000  1999  1998