ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Here's why coding 30901 for ice stoppage might not be proper.A patient reports to the ED with a nosebleed. The ED physician stops the nosebleed. The coder reports 30901, right?Not so fast: Reporting 30901 (Control nasal hemorrhage, anterior, simple [limited cautery and/or packing] any method) automatically could go wrong in two ways:First, you could be overcoding. Second, if the physician performs a complex nosebleed repair and you report 30901, you're shorting the practice by about $24 per encounter.Sidestep the bleeding of your bottom line with this expert advice on coding for patients with nasal hemorrhages.Minimal Stoppage Techniques Are E/M TerritoryCoders need to check how involved repair was before choosing a nosebleed repair code, as some nosebleed fixes are actually E/M services, confirms Kathy Plato, CPC, director of coding education & credentialing at ebix, Inc., headquartered in Wisconsin.If a patient reports to the physician with a nosebleed, and the physician stops [...]