Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our neurologist performed an electroencephalogram (EEG) with video recording on a hospitalized patient. He began the test in the morning, and it ran overnight, for a total of about 24 hours. Since the test was done over two calendar days, how should I code this?

Illinois Subscriber

Answer: The test's 24-hour timeframe begins when the test starts, not according to the 24-hour clock time.

If the test began at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday and ended at 9 a.m. on Thursday, that is considered the first 24 hours and would be reported as one unit of service. You will report 95951 (Monitoring for localization of cerebral seizure focus by cable or radio,16 or more channel telemetry, combined electroencephalographic [EEG] and video recording and interpretation [e.g., for presurgical localization], each 24 hours).

Don't miss: You'll also append modifier 26 (Professional component) because the diagnostic study is being performed in a facility site of service and your neurologist is not providing the technical component of the study.

-- Clinical and coding expertise for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Marvel J. Hammer, RN, CPC, CCS-P, ACS-PM, CHCO, owner of MJH Consulting in Denver.