Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: My cardiologist incised the skin on the patient’s upper extremity and dissected soft tissue to expose the chosen artery in the patient’s arm. My cardiologist then freed the necessary portion of the healthy artery, clamped the artery at either end of the portion for harvest, and tied off that area. Next, they incised and removed the portion of the artery from the arm. After the procedure was complete, my cardiologist removed all clamps and instrumentation, checked for bleeding, and closed the incisions in layers. Finally, they prepared the harvested artery for the coronary artery bypass procedure. Which code should I report on my claim?

North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: Report 35600 (Harvest of upper extremity artery, 1 segment, for coronary artery bypass procedure, open) on your claim. This code is for an open harvest

For a bilateral procedure, append modifier 50 to 35600.

Don’t miss: If you see that your cardiologist used an endoscopic harvest approach instead of an open harvest approach, report 33509 (Harvest of upper extremity artery, 1 segment, for coronary artery bypass procedure, endoscopic) on your claim instead.