Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: My cardiologist used transducers to obtain two-dimensional (2D) images of the heart structures through the patient’s chest wall. They evaluated the anatomy and function of all four heart chambers, valves, adjacent aorta, and wall of the heart. How should I report this?

Maine Subscriber

Answer: Report 93306 (Echocardiography, transthoracic, real-time with image documentation (2D), includes M-mode recording, when performed, complete, with spectral Doppler echocardiography, and with color flow Doppler echocardiography) on your claim. This service has both a professional and a technical component.

Don’t miss: The probe generates high-frequency sound waves that bounce off the heart back to the probe, which is connected to a monitor that displays the images of the heart. The gel helps the provider move the probe in different directions on the chest to obtain images of the heart. Standard views for a complete echocardiogram include subcostal, apical, parasternal, and suprasternal. M-mode recording detects heart motion toward and away from the transducer to evaluate the volume of blood being pumped by the heart. Spectral and color-flow Doppler evaluate the blood flowing through the heart valves and demonstrate any leaks. This is a comprehensive exam in which multiple views are obtained and measurements taken to assess both the anatomy and function of the heart.