Gastroenterology Coding Alert

Question: My gastroenterologist did a placement of jejunostomy feeding tube (j-tube) through a Kangaroo gastrostomy tube (g-tube). He passed an 8 French Flex- Flo j-tube through the g-tube and grasped the tube with a three-pronged forceps with flexible video endoscope. Then, he advanced it across the surgical gastrojejunal anastomosis and placed it near the lower surgical anastomosis. How should I report this?

Missouri Subscriber

Answer: Report 44373 (Small intestinal endoscopy, enteroscopy beyond second portion of duodenum, not including ileum; with conversion of percutaneous gastrostomy tube to percutaneous jejunostomy tube) for this procedure. The gastroenterologist inserted the j-tube by passing it through a g-tube that was already in place. J-tubes can also be inserted percutaneously, through an incision in the stomach under endoscopic guidance.

Report this procedure with 44372 (... with placement of percutaneous jejunostomy tube).