ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: What is the difference between codes 90780 and 90784? Which one is more appropriate for the ED?

Louisiana Subscriber

Answer: You'll use code 90780 (Intravenous infusion for therapy/diagnosis, administered by physician or under direct supervision of physician; up to one hour) for infusion of medication to a patient and the supervision required for its administration over time.

Code 90784 (Therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic injection [specify material injected]; intravenous) describes an injection that the doctor or nonphysician practitioner gives the patient intravenously.

This distinction becomes more important on the facility side, particularly with regard to Medicare, where all infusions are bundled into a single code, but multiple injections may be billed separately.