Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: What is the code for surface EMG? One of our neurologists performs this for movement disorders.

Arizona Subscriber

Answer: There is no specific code for surface EMG (electromyography). However, the CPT panel is considering several options for creating a code. Currently, you can use 95999 (unlisted neurological or neuromuscular diagnostic procedure) but it is recommended that you contact your payer first for approval. If you use 95999 without precertification, it is likely that you will be denied because some payers may not want you to use it. If it is approved by a payer, send supporting documentation in the form of a letter regarding the test, explaining why it was performed, and the patient report of the results.

Answered by Tiffany Z. Eggers, JD, MPA, policy director/legislative counsel for the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AAEM) in Rochester, Minn.; Neil A. Busis, MD, chief of the division of neurology and director of the neurodiagnostic laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center at Shadyside; and Susan Callaway, CPC, CCS-P, an independent coding consultant and educator in
North Augusta, S.C.