Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: How should I code one angioplasty in the femoral artery and one in the popliteal artery on the left leg?

Rhode Island Subscriber

Answer: For angioplasty in both the femoral artery and popliteal artery in a single leg, you should report one unit of 37224 (Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, femoral, popliteal artery[s], unilateral; with transluminal angioplasty).

CPT® guidelines state, “The entire femoral/popliteal territory in 1 lower extremity is considered a single vessel for CPT® reporting specifically for the endovascular lower extremity revascularization codes.”

Remember: You’ll use a single code from 37224-37227 even if the cardiologist performs a combination of angioplasty, stenting, and atherectomy within the territory. Be sure to choose the highest applicable code in the hierarchy to report. CPT® guidelines give the example of using 37227 (Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, femoral, popliteal artery[s], unilateral; with transluminal stent placement[s] and atherectomy, includes angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed), which covers stenting, atherectomy, and angioplasty.