Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: My cardiologist made an incision in the femoral artery and inserted a guidewire through it. They then advanced a balloon catheter over the guidewire into the stenosed aortic valve under imaging guidance and obtained angiographic images. My cardiologist inflated the balloon using a saline solution and deflated it by withdrawing the solution. Finally, they removed all the equipment, stopped the bleeding, and closed the incision. What code should I report for this procedure?

North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: You should report 92986 (Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty; aortic valve) on your claim.

Don’t miss: Code 92986 refers to valvuloplasty of the aortic valve, but if the documentation refers to the same procedure in the mitral valve, you should report 92987 (… mitral valve) instead. If the notes refer to valvuloplasty of the pulmonary valve, report 92990 (… pulmonary valve).