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Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Codes 93880 and 93886

Published on Thu Feb 01, 2001

Question: Does Medicare cover 93880 and 93886 with a diagnosis of 290.0?

California Subscriber

Answer: A thorough search of local medical review policies indicates that the majority of Medicare carriers will find that the use of 290.0 (senile dementia, uncomplicated) for 93880 (duplex scan of extracranial arteries; complete bilateral study) and 93886 (transcranial Doppler study of the intracranial arteries;complete study) does not support medical necessity. The reason would be the nonspecific nature of the diagnosis. Only one LMRP found has 290.4 as an approved diagnosis for 93880. It specifies code range 290.0-290.43 as accepted for arteriosclerotic dementia, normally coded 290.40.
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