Reader Questions:
How to Code Nuchal Translucency
Published on Tue Mar 01, 2005
Question: What is the proper way to code nuchal translucency? Should I include this as part of the fetal measurement in 76801?
North Dakota Subscriber
Answer: Your only option is to include nuchal translucency in 76801 (Ultrasound, pregnant uterus, real time with image documentation, fetal and maternal evaluation, first trimester [<14 weeks 0 days], transabdominal approach; single or first gestation) - unless the ob-gyn specifically checked only for the nuchal translucency.
In that case, you should use 76815 (Ultrasound, pregnant uterus, real time with image documentation, limited [e.g., fetal heart beat, placental location, fetal position and/or qualitative amniotic fluid volume], one or more fetuses).
An ob-gyn will test for nuchal translucency between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. The aim of the test is to determine if the fetus is at high risk of being born with a chromosomal abnormality, but the test does not diagnose the abnormality. The test measures the amount of fluid that accumulates behind the fetal neck. The answers for Reader Questions and You Be the Coder were provided by Melanie Witt, RN, CPC, MA, an ob-gyn coding expert based in Fredericksburg, Va.
