Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our office is looking into several methods for assessing aphasia (784.3). CPT code 96105 specifically references the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination. Would you provide us with more information about this examination?

Washington Subscriber

Answer: Aphasia is the loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words resulting from brain damage. The examination mentioned in code 96105 (assessment of aphasia [includes assessment of expressive and receptive speech and language function, language comprehension, speech production ability, reading, spelling, writing, e.g., by Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination] with interpretation and report, per hour) provides insight into an aphasic patients functioning and may help a neurologist to determine if a patient has lost a repetitive function as opposed to a naming function.

Eric Sandham, CPC, compliance educator for Central California Faculty Medical Group, a group practice and training facility associated with the University of California at San Francisco in Fresno, says that the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Exam developed by Harold Goodglass, PhD, and Edith Kaplan, PhD, generally takes five to 25 minutes to administer and is based on a 60-item picture naming test.

In conjunction with the text, The Assessment of Aphasia and Related Disorders, 2nd Edition, which serves as a test manual, the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination provides 43 scores related to aphasic syndromes, evaluating fluency, reading and auditory comprehension, naming, repetition, automatic sequences, writing, music, and spatial abilities as well as other functions. The test is available from Psychological Assessment Resources Inc. (1-800-331-8378) or online at http://www.parinc.com. The standard kit includes the Boston Naming Test (BNT), the aforementioned text, 16 stimulus cards, and one BNT scoring booklet. Additional examination booklets, stimulus cards and scoring booklets may be ordered.