Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert
Consider This Guidance on Unconventional Refill
Question: The PM specialist completed a patent test and aspirated all the medication out of the patient’s pain pump. They then refilled the pump with the same medication that was aspirated. Since they refilled with the same medication that was withdrawn from the pump, does it still qualify as a refill? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: Three codes are applicable in this situation: Here’s why: It is common for a provider to need to abstract medicine from the pump, place it back, and reprogram. The removal, replacement, and reprogramming of the pump with the same solution still constitutes a “refill” service. The work involved in removing the contents of the pump and then refilling the pump would meet the relative value unit (RVU) requirement of placing new medicine during a scheduled refill.
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