General Surgery Coding Alert

Don't miss the 'single vessel' exception.Make sure your surgery practice is ready to implement the overhaul of endovascular revascularization coding. CPT 2011 adds new codes for lower extremity endovascular revascularization, including angioplasty, atherectomy, and stenting, noted Stacy Gregory, CCC, CPC, RCC, of Gregory Medical Consulting Services, in her presentation, "Peripheral Vascular Coding Tactics," at the 2011 Coding Update and Reimbursement Conference in Orlando (www.codingconferences.com).Read on to learn the ins and outs of femoral/popliteal codes 37224-37227. Use this information as a companion to "37220, 37221 Overhaul Your Iliac Vascular Intervention Choices" in General Surgery Coding AlertVol. 13,No. A, and an upcoming article covering tibial/peroneal codes 37228-+37235.Master the Single Code Approach for Fem/Pop CodingGet familiar with the following new femoral/popliteal service codes, and note that all of the codes include angioplasty in the same vessel when that service is performed:Angioplasty: 37224 -- Revascularization, endovascular, open or percutaneous, femoral/popliteal artery(s), unilateral; with transluminal [...]