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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Craniotomy Strategies:

Code for Location and Etiology in Craniotomies

Published on Thu Apr 28, 2011

Payment depends on what precedes and follows the procedure.You'll stand a much better chance of receiving your full earned reimbursement for your surgeon's craniotomies if you pay attention to the reason for the craniotomy, the approach, and any work done after the procedure.Let Anatomy Direct You to the Correct CodeWhen you are coding a craniotomy, read the operative note carefully to see if the approach was above or below the tentorium. To select the correct craniotomy procedure code, you need to know the anatomy to determine "whether the procedure being performed is for the suboccipital region or if it is a skull base procedure. Knowing the location will also aid you in selecting the correct code by knowing if it is infratentorial or supratentorial," explains Teresa Thomas, BBA, RHIT, CPC, practice Manager II, St. John's Clinic " Neurosurgery, Springfield, Missouri. "The craniotomy codes are separated by supratentorial (eg. cerebral hemispheres) and [...]
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