Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: Can I report an ECG interpretation for a report generated by our equipment?

Michigan Subscriber

Answer: No. The interpretation is the professional component and therefore requires provider work. The provider can consider the auto-generated report when interpreting the ECG and writing the report, though.

According to WPS, J8 MAC Part B for Michigan, to support reporting the professional component, you need to check for required documentation:

• The physician must note agreement or disagreement with the computer report.
• If the physician does not agree with the computer-generated report or has any additional information, he must supply that information. "He/she can mark out or cross through the part he/she disagrees with, indicating the correct information."
• The physician must sign the notation.

Tip: "A common error seen in the computer-generated decision is that it indicates 'RBBB' but the rhythm is actually a completely paced rhythm. We would expect to see something similar to 'Disagree with RBBB. Completely paced rhythm with ventricular rate of 72; agree with rest,'" WPS states.

Resource: You can review the WPS statement at www.wpsmedicare.com/j8macpartb/resources/provider_types/2010-1206-ekg-quest.shtml.