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Cardiology Coding Alert

New Pacemaker Codes Cross The Finish Line for Use in 2003
New Pacemaker Codes Cross The Finish Line for Use in 2003 CPT 2003, which goes into ... Read more
You Can Code EKG Event Monitoring Round the Clock in 2003
CPT 2003 adds 24-hour attended monitoring to 93012 and 93268, which are used for electr... Read more
Strategies for Jumpstarting Accurate CHF Coding
Cardiology coders are finding that the key to using the new congestive heart failure (CHF... Read more
Know Your Conduits When Coding Coronary Injections
CMS ranks injections for coronary x-rays in the top 10 most performed cardiology diagnos... Read more
Reader Question:
Coronary Arteriography and Renal Angioplasty
Question: One of our cardiologists performed a selective coronary arteriography and sel... Read more
Reader Question:
Include Consult in ED Observation
Include Consult in ED Observation Question: If the emergency department physician reque... Read more
Reader Question:
Watch Leasing Equipment Anti-Kickback Violations
Question: We are opening a vein clinic in our practice. We own the equipment, but another... Read more
Reader Question:
Watch How You Bill EKG and Rhythm Strips
Question: Can you bill electrocardiogram (EKG) and rhythm strips on the same patient? We ... Read more
Reader Question:
Use 75710 for Accessing Right Iliacs
Question: The dictation I have states "access was made into the right femoral artery.... Read more
Reader Question:
Sheath Injections Go Solo
Question: Is there a procedure code for sheath injections only? One of our doctors did... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Billing E/M Services With Cardiac Catheterization
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before lookin... Read more
Proper Doppler Coding Pumps Up the Volume of Echocardiography Reimbursement
Correctly coding Doppler echocardiography depends on determining which Doppler study... Read more
Keeping Track of Time Is Crucial to Coding Hospital Discharges
When you code discharges for patients who have had cardiac diagnostic procedures done i... Read more
Tips for Improving Doppler Documentation
You stand a better chance of receiving full reimbursement for continuous/pulsed wave D... Read more
CCI 8.3 Omits Stent Bundling in Noncoronary Vessels
The Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits version 8.3, effective Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 wil... Read more
Reader Question:
Intra-Atrial Pacing
Question: Our cardiologist performed the following procedure: Sinus node recovery tim... Read more
Reader Question:
Angiogram With Left Heart Catheter
Question: How should I code "angiogram of the right iliac artery"? The cardiologist perf... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing for Asymptomatic Patients
Question: How can we support billing a level-four or -five E/M visit or add-on tests fo... Read more
Reader Question:
Omission of Atherectomy in Brachytherapy Placement
Question: What is CPT's logic in omitting 92995 (Percutaneous transluminal coronary a... Read more
Reader Question:
EKG and Sedation
Question: Why do private carriers such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna always deny ... Read more
Reader Question:
Multiple Stents in the Same Vessel
Question: We have been informed that we can get reimbursed for multiple stents in the sa... Read more
Reader Question:
In-Office Thallium Stress Tests
Question: Our practice is going to start providing thallium stress tests in the o... Read more
You Be The Coder:
Cardioversions With Conscious Sedation
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking... Read more
Inconclusive Diagnostic Imaging Unleashes PET Scan Payment Potential
Coding for positron emission tomography (PET) scans depends mainly on whether the sca... Read more
PET Coverage Varies by Scanner Type
The type of equipment the cardiac physician uses for PET scans is vital because it will... Read more
Separate Diagnoses Key to Concurrent Care Claims
When coding for a cardiologist who is working with another doctor to treat a patient, y... Read more
Emphasize Expertise to Increase Concurrent Care Pay
If two cardiologists are providing concurrent care to a patient, the likelihood of both... Read more
CCI Update:
Version 8.3 Alters Cardiology Injection Coding
The latest Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits  version 8.3, effective Oct. 1 to Dec.... Read more
ICD-9 Codes for 2003 Require CHF Scrutiny
Recent revisions and additions to cardiology diagnosis codes mean that coders will h... Read more
Tips for Understanding CHF
Coders in cardiology practices will have to become well-versed in the intricacies of ... Read more
Reader Question:
Postangiogram Admit
Question: One of our patients had an office consultation (99215, Office or other outpat... Read more
Reader Question:
Aortogram With Run-Off and Stenting
Question: One of our cardiologists did an aortogram with run-off and stenting of the o... Read more
Reader Question:
Assist for A-Fib Ablation
Question: What documentation is required to bill "assistant at surgery" for a-fib ablat... Read more
Reader Question:
Measuring Carotid Intimal Thickness
Question: My department is interested in doing carotid intimal medial thickness measu... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Patient Right Renal Artery
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before lookin... Read more
Get the Most Out of Coding for SPECT Scans
Perhaps the most common nuclear diagnostic test used by cardiologists, single-photon emi... Read more
What Are SPECT Scans?
Understanding how a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan is performed... Read more
Modifier -25:
Get Reimbursed for E/M Services and Heart Cath on the Same Day
Although routine evaluations are considered part of heart catheterizations, certain E/M ... Read more
News Brief:
Look for Revised Place-of-Service Indicators in 2003
As part of its proposed revisions to the 2003 Physician Fee Schedule, CMS has recommende... Read more
Reader Question:
Percutaneous Angioplasty
Question: We frequently perform percutaneous angioplasty of dialysis grafts, but Medicar... Read more
Reader Question:
Central Venous Access With Swan Ganz
Question: Can I charge for a central venous access placement and a Swan-Ganz catheter pl... Read more
Reader Question:
ECG Interpretation
Question: When on-call, can I bill for interpreting an electrocardiogram (ECG) that the... Read more
Reader Question:
Temporary Pacer
Question: The cardiologist inserted a temporary transcutaneous pacer in a patient one da... Read more
Reader Question:
Preoperative Clearances
Question: Some of our patients are about to undergo non-cardiology-related general surge... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Pacemaker Battery Change
Reviewed on May 22, 2015   Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would ... Read more
Unblock Payment by Coding All Aspects of MUGA Scans
When cardiologists perform multiple gated acquisition (MUGA) scans to measure various as... Read more
Root Out Payment for Abdominal Aortography
You do not have to settle for payment of a left heart catheterization with aortography... Read more
CPT Codes for MUGA Scans
CPT 78472 Cardiac blood pool imaging, gated equilibrium; planar, single study at ... Read more
CCI Update:
Version 8.2 Brings Minor Changes for Cardiology Coding
The Correct Coding Initiative's (CCI) new edits version 8.2 bring relatively ... Read more
Reader Question:
Intravenous Lopressor
Question: How should I code for Lopressor that is administered intravenously in the offi... Read more
Reader Question:
Critical Care and Office Visit
Question: During a regularly scheduled office visit for hypertension management, an esta... Read more
Reader Question:
Limited Coronary Angiography
Question: My cardiologist stated that he performed limited coronary angiography and an i... Read more
Reader Question:
Temporary Pacer and Stent Placement
Question: Our cardiologist placed a stent and inserted a temporary pacemaker. Can we bil... Read more
Reader Question:
Unsuccessful AV Node Ablation
Question: My physician attempted an atrioventricular (AV) node ablation but was unsucces... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Balloon Pericardiotomy
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Licensure of Provider Often Determines E/M Level at Lipid Clinic
If you aren't coding correctly for the nonphysician practitioner (NPP) E/M services in y... Read more
Use New Transport Codes to Bill Time in Ambulance
CPT 2002 introduced a pair of new E/M codes to report critical care services provided by... Read more
Apply Correct Modifiers for Procedures During Global Period
Two modifiers allow cardiologists to bill successfully for separate procedures pe... Read more
Reader Question:
No Waiting Period for ICD/Pacer Checks
Question: The cardiologist implanted an internal cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (3324... Read more
Reader Question:
Stent Includes Supervision and Interpretation
Question: Our cardiologist says to report supervision and interpretation (S&I) separ... Read more
Reader Question:
48- and 72-Hour Holter Monitors
Question: How should we bill for 48- or 72-hour Holter monitors? Pennsylvania Subscribe... Read more
Reader Question:
No Payment for Tagging Agent
Question: Which code should we use to bill for the pyrophosphate used during a multi-upt... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Vascular Cutting Balloon
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking a... Read more
Master the Global Package for Pacemaker, ICD Procedures
Although surgical specialists deal with 10- or 90-day global periods routinely, most ca... Read more
Surgeon Must Transfer Care to Cardiologist for Postop Payment
After performing surgery with a 90-day global period, cardiac surgeons sometimes pass t... Read more
Global Period Billing Guidelines
The global surgical package includes most but not all services and procedures per... Read more
Visits Unrelated to Surgery
If the physician treats a problem unrelated to surgery, the encounter may qualify as con... Read more
Physician Must Be in Room During Tilt-Table Test
Cardiologists and electrophysiologists may perform tilt-table testing ... Read more
Reader Question:
Temporary Pacing Lead
Question: While performing a thrombectomy using the Angio-Jet catheter, the cardiologis... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier -66 Rarely Used
Question: The cardiologist performs a left heart cath. An interventional cardiologist is... Read more
Reader Question:
Pre- and Postablation EP Studies
Question: Somebody in our practice is recommending we report 93621 and 93624 for pre- a... Read more
Reader Question:
Arterial Injection
Question: The operative report states: "The guidewire was advanced across the aortic bif... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Fractional Flow Reserve During Stent Placement
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking a... Read more
CCI 8.1 Removes Inappropriate Edit for Electrophysiology Studies
Version 8.1 of the national Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) (effective April 1, 2002-Jun... Read more
Locum Tenens Services Differ from Reciprocal Billing
Cardiologists may be unable to see patients for several reasons, including vacation, illn... Read more
Supply Coding Tricky but Well Worth the Effort
Cardiologists routinely purchase and bill for a wide variety of medical supplies and rel... Read more
Reader Question:
PercuSurge Protection Device
Question: The cardiologists in our practice are using PercuSurge in the cath lab. I have ... Read more
Reader Question:
TEE with Bubble Study
Question: How should I code a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) and a bubble study per... Read more
Reader Question:
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitors
Question: I have been told that it is OK to report the use of ambulatory blood pressure ... Read more
Reader Question:
PTA and Stent of Accessory Renal Artery
Question: The cardiologist documented a PTA and stent of the left renal artery and the... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Coronary Kissing Balloons
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Correct Injection Code Simplifies Billing for Cardiac Catheterizations
" Cardiac catheterization, particularly left heart catheterization (LHC), is a three-step... Read more
Catheter Tip Placement Impacts Venous Access Coding
" A cardiologist may be required to place a central line in a patient with hea... Read more
Commentary:
Views Differ on Coding Ablation with Transseptal Puncture
The debate continues over whether to code both 93651 (Intracardiac catheter ablation ... Read more
IVUS and Diagnostic-Procedure Codes Can Be Billed Together
Cardiologists should not assume that reimbursement for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS... Read more
Reader Question:
Holter Monitoring
Question: Our cardiologist interpreted data from a 24-hour Holter monitor. Should I appen... Read more
Reader Question:
Transesophageal Monitoring
Question: Can we bill echocardiography code 93318 with Doppler and color flow?Iowa Subscr... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Question: Echocardiographic Imaging
Test your coding knowledge.  Determine how you would code this situation before lo... Read more
Peripheral Intervention:
What You Need to Know to Code Correctly
Coders can toss out the cardiology coding rule book when billing for peripheral interven... Read more
Develop Standard Practice for Conscious Sedation Billing
The existence of a CPT code for a procedure or service is no guarantee of reimbursement.... Read more
Deletion of G Code Should Prompt Call to Part B Carriers
Cardiologists who review data gathered by a non-looping event monitor and report G0016 (... Read more
Reader Question:
Modifier -25 and Global Periods
Question: Consult service 99254 is performed on the same day as placement of a central ven... Read more
Reader Question:
Endomyocardial Biopsy
Question: Our cardiologist performed an endomyocardial biopsy in the course of left and ri... Read more
Reader Question:
Probe Placement
Question: Our cardiologist performed a transesophageal echocardiogram (including placing t... Read more
Reader Question:
Unlisted Echocardiogram Procedure
Question: An intracardiac echocardiogram is performed in the catheterization lab following... Read more
Reader Question:
Cardiac Output
Question: Our cardiologists want to provide bioimpedance testing. Does this testing apply ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Coronary Artery Modifiers
Test your coding knowledge.  Determine how you would code this situation before loo... Read more
Modifier Is Key for Ablation with Transseptal Puncture Reimbursement
When an electrophysiological evaluation reveals an accessory pathway, the physician may ... Read more
Information Facilitates Coding of Pacemaker Surgery
Although CPT 2002 includes more than a dozen codes related to pacemaker implantation, re... Read more
Beat Coding Complexities of Congenital Heart Problems
CPT Codes 2002 covers procedures performed on patients with congenital heart disease ... Read more
Reader Question:
Vascular Angiography
Question: What is the correct supervision and interpretation code for selective superior ... Read more
Reader Question:
Sestamibi Stress Tests
Question: Our office will soon perform nuclear stress tests using sestamibi. How should w... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Kissing Balloon Angioplasty
Test your coding knowledge.  Determine how you would code this situation before l... Read more
Carriers Set the Pace on Billing for Biventricular Device Implantation
With the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the Medtronic ... Read more
Ins and Outs of Admission and Discharge Coding
Inpatient and observation admissions can be difficult to code even under the best of circ... Read more
Reader Question:
Multiple Stent Placement
Question: The cardiologist placed one stent in the obtuse marginal vessel and one stent ... Read more
Reader Question:
Integumentary System
Question: A patient who had a pacemaker implanted on Sept. 15 returns to the hospital... Read more
Reader Question:
Attempted Angioplasty
Question: How should I code an attempted angioplasty? The physician completed the left hea... Read more
Reader Question:
Left Main Coronary Artery
Question: Our hospital has revised its catheterization lab coding sheet to include the lef... Read more
Reader Question:
Portable Echocardiograph Machine
Question: How should we report use of a portable echocardiograph machine?Montana Subscribe... Read more
Reader Question:
Elevated Creatine Kinase
Question: The cardiologist examined a patient whose only diagnosis was "elevated creatine... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Postoperative Care
Test your coding knowledge.  Determine how you would code this situation before lo... Read more
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