Cardiology Coding Alert

Your second- vs. third-order coding savvy protects your practice's bottom line. Understanding catheter placement coding guidelines is an absolute must if you want your claims to be accurate and recoup all your deserved pay for these services. Medicare's national facility price for CPT 36217 (third order) is roughly $55 more than for 36216 (second order). The non-facility prices have an even more impressive $762 difference. But bringing in those hard-earned dollars means applying the rules to real cases, which is easier said than done. Opportunity: Bone up on the rules in "Smart Start: Review These Brachiocephalic Coding Essentials" on page 75. Then hone your coding skills by analyzing the angiography report excerpt below, shared by Brenda Cole, CPC, of Dexios Corp. in Greenwood, S.C. Assume that you are reporting only the cardiologist's services. Put on Your PV Hat to Code This Sample Case Procedure: The right femoral artery is utilized [...]