EM Coding Alert
Look to Documentation First to See if Anesthesiologist Visits Qualify for E/M Service
Question: The physician inserted a lumbar drain and wants to leave it in place for several days. He listed 62272 as the procedure code. What should we report for daily inpatient visits from the anesthesiologist? Are there any guidelines for this type of situation? New Jersey Subscriber Answer: Code 62272 (Spinal puncture, therapeutic, for drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (by needle or catheter)) doesn’t have any associated global days. If the physician meets the documentation requirements, then you can bill the appropriate evaluation and management (E/M) code for an established patient along with the corresponding diagnosis or chief complaint. Here’s why: The normal anesthesia crosswalk code for 62272 is 00635 (Anesthesia for procedures in lumbar region; diagnostic or therapeutic lumbar puncture). However, this code represents when anesthesia is provided during the lumbar procedure itself, so it isn’t applicable in this situation. The daily management code 01996 (Daily hospital management of epidural or subarachnoid continuous drug administration) also doesn’t apply because it refers to management of medication.
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