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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Coding Case:

Patch Your Ventricular Puncture Payment Holes With These Pointers

Published on Wed Aug 29, 2012

Hint: Injections, if any, guide your choice of codes.When reporting your surgeon's ventricular puncture services, you will need to confirm whether your surgeon is just withdrawing fluid or is also making an injection. Your choice of codes does not depend upon the approach your surgeon adopts to reach the ventricle. Look for InjectionsTip: If the procedure includes an injection, you may turn to one of these ventricular puncture codes: 61020 (Ventricular puncture through previous burr hole, fontanelle, suture, or implanted ventricular catheter/reservoir; without injection), 61026 (Ventricular puncture through previous burr hole, fontanelle, suture, or implanted ventricular catheter/reservoir; with injection of medication or other substance for diagnosis or treatment) depending upon whether or not a medication or substance was injected, and 61120 (Burr hole[s] for ventricular puncture [including injection of gas, contrast media, dye, or radioactive material]).Need An Example? Use This Case Study as a Guide Take a look at the [...]
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