Neurosurgery Coding Alert
Confirm Global Period Before You Report Follow Up Of Spinal Catheter
Question: Our physician did a spinal epidural catheter revision. This was a tunneled catheter. The patient was asked to come for a follow up visit during which the patency and functioning of the catheter was checked in addition to the patient’s general examination. How can we report the follow up examination? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: Depending upon whether or not your physician did a laminectomy during the revision, you would have submitted code 62350 (Implantation, revision or repositioning of tunneled intrathecal or epidural catheter, for long-term medication administration via an external pump or implantable reservoir/infusion pump; without laminectomy) or 62351 (… with laminectomy) for revision of a tunneled epidural catheter. Follow-up exams are common after such catheter revisions. Code 62350 has a 10-day global period, and 62351 has a 90-day global period. If the patient returns for follow-up during the global period, submit code 99024 (Postoperative follow-up visit, normally included in the surgical package, to indicate that an evaluation and management service was performed during a postoperative period for a reason[s] related to the original procedure). Otherwise, you would report the appropriate level E/M service for an established patient based on the documentation requirements.
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Confirm Global Period Before You Report Follow Up Of Spinal Catheter
Question: Our physician did a spinal epidural catheter revision. This was a tunneled catheter. The patient [...]
