Reader Question:
No Void Leaves a Void in Your Urodynamics Coding
Published on Fri Jun 03, 2011
Question: If a patient cannot urinate at the end of the biofeedback, can we charge 51741, 51728, or 51797? I know we cannot charge if the patient cannot void during the study, but what if you have performed the testing, and the patient then can't void?New York SubscriberAnswer: If you are doing urodynamic studies and the patient cannot void either during or after the study, you cannot bill the following codes:51741 -- Complex uroflowmetry (eg, calibrated electronic equipment)51728 -- Complex cystometrogram (ie, calibrated electronic equipment); with voiding pressure studies (ie, bladder voiding pressure), any technique51729 -- ... with voiding pressure studies (ie, bladder voiding pressure) and urethral pressure profile studies (ie, urethral closure pressure profile), any technique+51797 -- Voiding pressure studies, intra-abdominal (ie, rectal, gastric, intraperitoneal) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure).Remember, the purpose of these tests is to measure the patient's response to voiding situations; if she cannot void, the [...]