You Be the Coder:
Spastic Hemiparesis
Published on Mon Oct 01, 2001
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
Question: What is the proper coding when injecting different forearm muscles (single limb) to treat spastic hemiparesis?
Pennsylvania Subscriber
Answer: Code 64640 (destruction by neurolytic agent; other peripheral nerve or branch) describes treatment of a peripheral nerve or branch and includes all injections along the nerve.
Medicare policy specifically limits payment to one unit per site, regardless of the number of injections. A site is defined as including the muscles of a single contiguous body part, such as a single limb. Therefore, report 64640 only once for treating the entire arm.