General Surgery Coding Alert
Colonoscopy Code Impervious to Light Color
Question: What is the appropriate CPT® code for a colonoscopy when documentation states "White light and narrow band imaging modes were used to examine the entire colon?" No biopsies or other procedures performed with the colonoscopy.
Answer: In the scenario that you have described, you should report 45378 (Colonoscopy, flexible, proximal to splenic flexure; diagnostic, with or without collection of specimen[(s] by brushing or washing, with or without colon decompression [separate procedure]), because your surgeon viewed the colon without performing any other procedures such as biopsy.
The standard colonoscopy techniques makes use of a white light,while narrow-band imaging uses a blue light to view the areas of the colon. Some practitioners prefer the narrow-band imaging because the blue-light contrast reportedly enhances identification of intestinal polyps.
Regardless of which technique your surgeon prefers (or both) in performing a colonoscopy, you should remember that there are no separate CPT® codes for standard white light colonoscopy and narrow-band imaging colonoscopy.
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