Cardiology Coding Alert

Confused by 48-hour Holter services? Here's your answer.CPT 2011 may not completely swap your old cardiovascular monitoring codes for new ones, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the revisions to this section. Here's the lowdown on changes to Holter, mobile cardiovascular telemetry (MCT), and event monitor codes.Good news: One of the goals of changing the codes and accompanying guidelines was to reflect new technology, making accurate reporting of the services easier, according to Kenneth P. Brin, MD, PhD, FACC, CPT editorial panel member, and James Blankenship, MD, FACC, FSCAI, relative value update committee member, in the presentation they prepared for the AMA's CPT and RBRVS 2011 Annual Symposium.Catch the Holter Monitor Time ChangeIn 2011, Holter monitor codes merit a single unit for up to 48 hours. In 2010, the code specified "for 24 hours." Here's how the old and new codes compare:2010: 93224-93227 -- Wearable electrocardiographic rhythm derived monitoring for [...]