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Cardiology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Keep 93508 for Diagnostic Cath

Published on Sat Jan 03, 2009

Question: If I'm reporting 92980 and 92981's professional component, may I report 93508, too? California Subscriber Answer: If you use 93508 (Catheter placement in coronary artery[s], arterial coronary conduit[s], and/or venous coronary bypass graft[s] for coronary angiography without concomitant left heart catheterization) to represent a diagnostic procedure, you should be able to report it alongside 92980 and +92981 (Transcatheter placement of an intracoronary stent[s] ...). But as AMA's CPT Assistant (August 2000) states, you should not use 93508 to report the necessary catheter insertion for a percutaneous intracoronary stent procedure. Reason: AMA's CPT: 2009, Professional Edition, explains that 93508 describes a cardiac catheterization in which the cath doesn't cross the aortic valve into the left ventricle. CPT didn't intend 93508 to describe roadmapping. Snag: Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits don't bundle 93508 into 92980, but you may need to append modifier 59 (Distinct procedural service) to 93508 for some payers. [...]
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