Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: My cardiologist's documentation indicates "right heart catheterization and cardiac output by the thermodilution technique." She used a right femoral access and advanced a Swan-Ganz catheter under fluoro to the right atrium, recorded pressures, and then moved to the right ventricular cavity and recorded pressures. She then manipulated the cath into the right pulmonary artery and pulmonary capillary wedge position recording pressures at both sites. After obtaining cardiac output, she removed the catheter. Should I report the right heart catheterization, cardiac output, and Swan-Ganz separately? New Jersey Subscriber Answer: Code 93501 (Right heart catheterization) covers all of the services you describe. Don't forget to append modifier 26 (Professional component) if you're reporting only the professional component. CPT guidelines state that diagnostic cardiac catheterization includes: • introduction, positioning, and repositioning of catheters • recording intracardiac and intravascular pressure • obtaining blood samples to measure blood gases or dilution curves • cardiac [...]