Neurosurgery Coding Alert
Bring In New PVB Codes in 2016
Question: Our physician performed a thoracic paravertebral block in a patient with spinal injuries. How can we report this procedure? Is it correct to submit codes 64470-64484 and 64490-64493?
Alabama Subscriber
Answer: According to current CPT® instructions, you should report these paravertebral injections (not facet joint injections) with one of the intercostal injection codes. The best codes are either 64420 (Injection, anesthetic agent; intercostal nerve, single) or 64421 (…intercostal nerves, multiple, regional block), depending upon how many nerves your physician injects.
However, in a few weeks from now in the New Year, you will find specific codes for this procedure. The new 2016 codes are the following:
Neurosurgery Coding Alert
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