Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: How should I code external iliac and common femoral angioplasty stent procedures? Would it be only 37221? Or may I also code 37226?Codify MemberAnswer: If the physician performed separate therapies for the iliac and femoral arteries, you should report both 37221 (Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, iliac artery, unilateral, initial vessel; with transluminal stent placement[s], includes angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed) and 37226 (Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, femoral, popliteal artery[s], unilateral; with transluminal stent placement[s], includes angioplasty within the same vessel, when performed).Support: The iliac and femoral arteries are considered to be separate territories for these codes. Coding guidelines state, "When multiple vessels in multiple territories in a single leg are treated at the same setting, the primary code for the treatment in the initial vessel in each vascular territory is reported."Caution: In some cases, a lesion may cross from one territory to another but the [...]