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Cardiology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS :

Avoid Holter Code for MCT

Published on Sat Sep 26, 2009

Question: One of our payers considers real-time remote heart monitoring (MCOT) "investigational and not medically necessary." The payer's policy states that it will  deny 93228 and 93229. For 30 days of monitoring, may I instead use 93235 for each day? Ohio Subscriber Answer: You should not report 93235 (Wearable electrocardiographic rhythm derived monitoring for 24 hours by continuous computerized monitoring and non- continuous recording, and real-time data analysis utilizing a device capable of producing intermittent full-sized waveform tracings, possibly patient activated; includes monitoring and real-time data analysis with report, physician review and interpretation) for the services you describe The appropriate codes for real-time remote heart monitors, such as CardioNet's MCOT (Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry), are the "mobile cardiovascular telemetry" or "MCT" codes your payer's policy references: 93228-93229 (Wearable mobile cardiovascular telemetry with electrocardiographic recording, concurrent computerized real time data analysis and greater than 24 hours of accessible ECG data storage [...]
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