Home Health ICD-9/ICD-10 Alert

Reader Questions:

Know the Difference Between MRA and MRI

Question: Now that we must code inpatient procedures from Volume III of the ICD-9 manual for  OASIS M1012, how would I code an MRA of the brain? Should this be coded 88.41 (Arteriography, cerebral) or 88.91 (Imaging, magnetic resonance, brain), or does it take both codes to properly explain this procedure?

Massachusetts Subscriber

Answer: Look to 88.41 (Arteriography of cerebral arteries) to report patients who have had magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic technique that uses magnetic fields to create an image of soft tissue such as muscles or organs. MRA uses the same technology and basic process as MRI, but creates images of the blood's movement in veins and arteries. MRA is the general term used to describe MR imaging of vascular structures, Blue Cross of Idaho says on its website. MRAs may be used to assess patients who have had aneurysms, intracranial hemorrhages, or recent cerebrovascular accidents, among other conditions.

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