Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: My physician spent two hours with a patient administering the Halstead–Reitan Neuropsychological Battery assessment. This documented time included the physician spending face-to-face time with the patient performing the test. The physician interpreted the outcome, prepared the report, and discussed the outcome with the patient. How should I report this service?

Massachusetts Subscriber

Answer: You would report the following codes on your claim:

• 96132 (Neuropsychological testing evaluation services by physician or other qualified health care professional, including integration of patient data, interpretation of standardized test results and clinical data, clinical decision making, treatment planning and report, and interactive feedback to the patient, family member(s) or caregiver(s), when performed; first hour)
• +96133 (… each additional hour (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure).

Code 96132 is the primary code, and it represents the first hour the physician spent administering the neuropsychological test. Since the physician documented that he spent an additional hour beyond the first hour with the patient, you should also report add-on code +96133.