Cardiology Coding Alert

You can't afford to ignore the 'include all lesser order codes' rule. Before you jump into the case study on page 73, get a leg up with this look at the fundamentals. See What Selective Means for Brachiocephalic Vascular catheterization procedures are either selective or nonselective. You use nonselective codes when the physician places the catheter in the aorta, vena cava, or the vessel punctured, and he does not move the catheter further, explains AMA's CPT Assistant (October 2000). Note that non-selective also includes advancing the catheter toward the aorta. For example, if the doctor gained vascular access in the common femoral artery in the right leg and advanced to the common iliac in the right leg (retrograde advancement) the catheter placement is still non-selective (36140, Introduction of needle or intracatheter; extremity artery). Selective catheterization, on the other hand, means the physician advances the catheter into a first-, second-, or [...]