Ob-Gyn Coding Alert
Reader Question:
Non-Medicare Pap Smears
Published on Fri Mar 01, 2002
Question: How should I code Pap smears for non-Medicare patients?
New Jersey Subscriber
Answer: All carriers (except Medicare) consider collection of the Pap smear specimen part of the E/M exam. The reason Medicare covers Pap collections is based on old coverage rules, when Medicare did not pay for the visit at which the Pap was collected. When Medicare began covering some preventive/screening benefits, it continued to pay for the collection of the specimen.
Use 99000 (Handling and/or conveyance of specimen for transfer from the physicians office to a laboratory) for non-Medicare patients, keeping in mind that some carriers will reimburse and others will not.
Other Articles in this issue of
Ob-Gyn Coding Alert
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Those private carriers that do not recognize CPT, HCPCS or ICD-9 codes will have an [...] - Reader Question:
Labial Reduction
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Intravenous Anesthesia
Question: How should we code for intravenous use of Valium, Lidocaine and Demerol?
New York Subscriber [...] - Reader Question:
Non-Medicare Pap Smears
Question: How should I code Pap smears for non-Medicare patients?
New Jersey Subscriber
Answer: All [...] - Reader Question:
Medicares High-Risk Categories
Question: Please explain more about coding for Medicare's high-risk categories for screening Pap and pelvic [...] - Reader Question:
Therapeutic Abortion
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Loop Procedure
Question: One of our doctors performed a loop electrode excision procedure (LEEP) to remove a [...] - Reader Question:
External Cephalic Version
Question: My physician performed a successful external cephalic version on a patient who is 37.5 [...] - Reader Question:
Postpartum Repair
Question: A patient was taken to the operating room postdelivery to repair a vaginal sulcus [...]
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