General Surgery Coding Alert

Clarify billing for radiological guidance.When your general surgeon placed interstitial devices for radiation therapy guidance during a distinct open or laparoscopic abdominal procedure, you didn't have a way to code the additional service -- until now. Make sure you capture all the pay you deserve when you learn how to use two new CPT 2011 codes for the procedure.Open, Lap, or Percutaneous Approach Distinguish PlacementLast year, you had one code to use when your surgeon placed an abdominal interstitial device for radiation therapy guidance -- 49411 (Placement of interstitial device[s] for radiation therapy guidance [e.g., fiducial markers, dosimeter], percutaneous, intra-abdominal, intra-pelvic [except prostate], and/or retroperitoneum, single or multiple)."If your surgeon performed the device placement during an open or laparoscopic procedure prior to 2011, you had no way to capture the service," says Marcella Bucknam, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, CPC-P, COBGC, CCC, manager of compliance education for the University of Washington Physicians Compliance [...]