Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: My cardiologist wants to report 75774 for the interpretation of saphenous vein grafts and 75756 for internal mammary grafts when he performs a heart cath. Wouldn't 93556 cover this? 

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: Codes 93539 (Injection procedure during cardiac catheterization; for selective opacification of arterial conduits [e.g., internal mammary], whether native or used for bypass), 93540 (... for selective opacification of aortocoronary venous bypass grafts, one or more coronary arteries), and 93556 (Imaging supervision, interpretation and report for injection procedure[s] during cardiac catheterization; pulmonary angiography, aortography, and/or selective coronary angiography including venous bypass grafts and arterial conduits [whether native or used in bypass]) would cover this, along with the appropriate heart catheterization codes.
 
You can point out to your cardiologist that you should not use 75756 (Angiography, internal mammary, radiological supervision and interpretation). According to CPT, you must use 93539 when the cardiologist views the internal mammary arteries during a heart catheterization.