Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: When should I report 90772 for injections the neurologist administers?

California Subscriber

Answer: Some coders default to 90772 (Therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic injection [specify substance or drug]; subcutaneous or intramuscular) when it comes to coding injections. For neurologists, 90772 may be an incorrect code because there are more specific CPT codes to report the injections that they typically perform.

You should use code 90772 only if the neurologist administers a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. Otherwise, report an anatomic site-specific code, such as for a specific nerve, for the injection based on the neurologist's documentation.

Remember: Per CPT, 90772 requires direct physician supervision. If your neurologist is not present in the office suite, E/M code 99211 (Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient, that may not require the presence of a physician) may be more appropriate.