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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

CPT 2001 Offers Few, but Positive Changes for Ob/gyn Practices
The American Medical Associations 2001 CPT, released Nov. 1, contains several important ch... Read more
New ICD-9 Codes Show Medical Necessity for DEXA Bone Scans
Ob/gyn coders who submit Medicare claims for DEXA bone scans (76075, dual energy x-ray a... Read more
Correction:
Use 621.0 with 58558
Page 76 (Optimize Payment by Knowing When to Use Modifier -59 vs. -51) of the October 2000... Read more
Reader Question:
E/M Visit With Ob Global
Question: We now charge an evaluation and management (E/M) visit for the first ob visit an... Read more
Reader Question:
Transvaginal Ultrasound
Question: How can I code a transvaginal ultrasound of the ovaries to follow follicles in... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Isoimmunization
Question: What is the difference between 90384 and J2790? Our physicians gives Rhogam for ... Read more
Receive the Reimbursement You Deserve by Billing Appropriately for Repeat Pap Smears
In the ob/gyn setting, Pap smears rarely have to be repeated because of an insufficient nu... Read more
Optimize Payment for RhoGAM And Depro-Provera Injections
"In the ob/gyn setting, patients are often treated for a variety of complaints thro... Read more
Reader Question:
Laproscopy Relative Value
Question: Why does 58551 have a lower relative value than 58550?Kathy Howard Womens Care C... Read more
Reader Question:
Ectopic Pregnancy
Question: I am looking for a CPT code for a packaged procedure for an ectopic pregnancy tr... Read more
Reader Question:
E/M With Non-stress Tests
Question: When a patient comes in for a non-stress test (NST) or an ultrasound, can I incl... Read more
Reader Question:
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Question: With Medicare allowing annual gyn exams (cervical cancer screenings) every three... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing Follow-up Care
Question: After review requests from Medicare, several of our claims have been denied for ... Read more
Reader Question:
Established Patient or Well Visit?
Question: A patient comes into our office for her annual exam. She is on birth control pil... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Pap Smears
Question: When a patient has had an abnormal Pap followed by two normal Paps, but the phys... Read more
Billing Options Ease Reimbursement Process For Post-cesarean Delivery Complications
When a physician reports 59510 (routine obstetric care including antepartum care, cesare... Read more
Optimize Payment by Knowing When to Use Modifier -59 vs. -51
Modifier -59 (distinct procedural service) is often appended incorrectly or overlooked in ... Read more
Coding in the News:
HCFA Changes RVU for 58100
In a program memo dated Aug. 10, 2000, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) cor... Read more
Reader Question:
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
Question: How would I code for a current pregnancy with history of recurrent pregnancy los... Read more
Reader Question:
SAL Test
Question: What is the CPT code for an SAL test?Illinois Subscriber Answer: SalEst is a sc... Read more
Reader Question:
Echography
Question: How should I code a transvaginal ultrasound of the ovaries to follow follicles... Read more
Reader Question:
Attendance During Surgery
Question: Our ob physician was asked by an orthopedic surgeon to be in attendance during a... Read more
Reader Question:
E/M Service
Question: A Medicare patient is seen for menopausal symptoms and post-menopausal bleeding.... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Transvaginal Pelvic Ultrasound
Question: If a transvaginal pelvic ultrasound is performed and an intrauterine pregnancy i... Read more
Get Reimbursed for Nonelective Abortions
Technological advances enable physicians to detect pregnancy in its earliest stages but ma... Read more
Use Modifier -62 to Get Payment for Co-Surgeons
Two surgeons often participate in complicated ob/gyn surgeries. But their degree of partic... Read more
New/Revised ICD-9 Codes Will Get Optimum Ob/gyn Payment
"The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recently announced new and revised... Read more
Reader Question:
Fern Testing
Question: How should I bill for the service of fern testing when the doctor is looking for... Read more
Reader Question:
Hysterectomy
Question: If a hysterectomy is performed in three parts with the adnexa being removed fi... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Laparoscopy and Laparotomy
Reviewed on April 21, 2015 Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this ... Read more
A Guide to Optimizing Reimbursement for Treatment of Gynecological Cancers
Coders who work in practices that treat gynecological oncology are familiar with the lim... Read more
Get the Best Possible Payment For Perinatal Consults
Perinatologists or maternal fetal medicine (MFM) specialists often are called in on a one-... Read more
Reader Question:
Using 64435
Question: We are a gynecology practice, and frequently do procedures in our office such as... Read more
Reader Question:
Vaginal Hysterectomy
Question: We coded a vaginal hysterectomy with MMK as 58267 (vaginal hysterectomy; with ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Uterosacral Ligament Neurectomy
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking a... Read more
Optimize Reimbursement for CSAs In an Ob/Gyn Setting
Certified surgical assistants (CSAs) often are employed in the ob/gyn operative setting to... Read more
Billing Options to Get Payment For Telephone Calls
Although most ob/gyns spend considerable time on the phone with patients and CPT has codes... Read more
Coding 101:
Receive Optimal Pay Up For Ultrasounds
An ob/gyn examining a high-risk ob patient or a patient whom he or she suspects to be high... Read more
Correction
In the March 2000 Ob-gyn Coding Alert, we incorrectly represented one of our contributor... Read more
Reader Question:
Rhogam Shots
Question: When ob patients are given Rhogam shots and 1 and 3 hr ggt (gamma glutamyl trans... Read more
Reader Question:
ARNP Coding
Question: An ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner) is sending me her ob patients i... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Antepartum Care
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Maximize Reimbursement for Multiple Deliveries on Different Days
Reimbursement for antepartum, delivery and postpartum care of a patient who is carrying mo... Read more
Receive Optimum Payment When Billing for Starred Procedures
Billing for starred CPT surgical codes is subject to a set of rules different from non-sta... Read more
Reader Question:
Laparoscopy
Question: A physician did a diagnostic laparascopy with removal of ovarian remnant and lys... Read more
Reader Question:
Glucose
Question: Medicare denied CPT 82948 with denial B7 (this provider was not certified for th... Read more
Reader Question:
Foreign Body Removal
Question: What is the code for foreign body removal (e.g., tampon)? Anne SweetinSummit Med... Read more
Reader Question:
Down's Syndrome
Question: What would the diagnosis code be for a Downs syndrome patient receiving Depo-Pro... Read more
Reader Question:
Peri-menopausal Patients
Question: An increased number of peri-menopausal patients have presented in our office. Th... Read more
Reader Question:
Professional Component for Ultrasounds
Question: We are beginning to do ob and gyn ultrasounds in our office. All five of our doc... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Surgery by Two Physicians
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Assigning the Proper ICD-9 Codes Optimizes Payment for Breast and Genitourinary Cancers
"When coding for the diagnosis of breast or genitourinary cancers, ICD-9 offers onl... Read more
Select Screening vs. Diagnostic Codes for Maximum Pay Up
Once a diagnostic code is established for the treatment of a patient, is it etched in sto... Read more
Look for Corrections to CCI Version 6.1 Errors
Due to a large number of errors, the implementation of the national Correct Coding Initiat... Read more
Reader Question:
Ultrasound
Question: A patient come in for an initial ob visit and, at that time, the doctor did a tr... Read more
Reader Question:
Pap Smear
Question: What is the correct ICD-9 and CPT code for a Pap smear that needs to be repeated... Read more
Reader Question:
Postpartum Complications
Question: After our physician performed a normal vaginal delivery, there was a postpartum ... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Round Ligament or Abdominal Pain
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Correctly Assigning V Codes or Five-Digit Ob Diagnosis Codes Optimizes Reimbursement
"The ICD-9 manual has two separate sections of diagnostic codes for pregnancy. Und... Read more
Modifier -51 Improves Payment For Multiple Ob/Gyn Procedures
Reimbursement for multiple ob/gyn procedures consistently emerges as a headache for coders... Read more
Case Study:
Correct Coding of Additional E/M Visits Maximizes Payment
Ob/gyn coders can increase reimbursement and reduce denials by correctly assigning evaluat... Read more
Reader Question:
Vault Suspension
Question: The physician performed a simple vaginal vault suspension at the time of a vagin... Read more
Reader Question:
Well-woman Exam
Question: Our ob/gyn offices are having problems getting reimbursed for a well-woman exa... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Sulcus Tear Repair
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Overcome Challenges to Receive Appropriate Reimbursement for Infertility Treatments
A recent high-profile legal case in New York City has reproductive endocrinologistsas well... Read more
Get Correct Reimbursement for Care of Multiple Fetuses
The good news is your patients in vitro fertilization was a success, shes pregnant! The ch... Read more
Some In-hospital E/M Care Prior To Delivery Is Billed Separately
When an ob patient enters the hospital for delivery, and that delivery takes 24, 48, 72 or... Read more
Reader Question:
Billing E/M Code With Starred Procedure
Question: Can we bill an E/M code with a starred procedure? Sharon WakeelFresno Womens Med... Read more
Reader Question:
Diagnostic Pap
Question: A Medicare patient has a specific gynecological complaint (e.g., 616.10; vaginit... Read more
Reader Question:
Evacuation of Hematoma
Question: How would you code for evacuation of hematoma in a re-opening of a recent laparo... Read more
Reader Question:
Ectopic Pregnancy
Question: We have treated a patient with a confirmed ectopic pregnancy with IM (intramus... Read more
You Be the Coder:
IUD Removal
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
How to Negotiate in Advance for High-risk Ob Patient
To improve chances of receiving appropriate reimbursement when treating a high-risk ob-gyn... Read more
ER Consults:
Identifying Consultations Vs. Outpatient Visits
When an ob/gyn is called to see a patient in the emergency room (ER), a number of differen... Read more
Convincing Payers to Accept The Bethesda System
Although the Bethesda System (TBS) of reporting Pap smears is widely practiced, it is not ... Read more
Reader Comment
Lisa Lorence, a medical billing specialist at the Toledo (Ohio) Clinics department of obst... Read more
Reader Question:
C-section and Hysterectomy
Question: A C-section was done, and the patient had a hysterectomy with a left salpingo-... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding E/M Services
Question: An ob patient comes in for a routine visit. During the course of her visit, she ... Read more
Reader Question:
Counseling
Question: For CPT codes 59410 (vaginal delivery only [with or without episiotomy, and/or f... Read more
Reader Question:
Coding a Pre-op Visit
Question: For 58671 (laparascopy, surgical; with occlusion of oviducts by device [e.g., b... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Routine Care After Delivery
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Overcoming the Reimbursement Challenges of the Diabetic Ob Patient
Pregnancy with diabetes as a complicating factor requires that extra monitoring and often ... Read more
Optimize Reimbursement with Appropriate Level of Service Code
Determining the level of an evaluation and management (E/M) visit and coding appropriately... Read more
Reader Question:
Repair of Lacerated Ovary
Question: What is the correct code for repair of a lacerated ovary? After an exploratory l... Read more
Reader Question:
Medicare Reimbursement for Pap Smears
Question: In the August 1999 issue (page 62) of Ob-Gyn Coding Alert, an article on Reimbur... Read more
Reader Question:
Using a Modifier with 99204
Question: A new patient comes in for diagnostic code 626.2 (excessive or frequent menstrua... Read more
Reader Question:
Norplant Removal
Question: A patient was seen in the office for a Norplant removal (we did not insert the N... Read more
You Be the Coder:
Consultation and Endocervical Curettage
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at... Read more
Available Years:  2000  1999  1998