READER QUESTIONS:
Post-LEEP Follow-Up: E/M or 99024?
Published on Wed Aug 12, 2009
Question: When the ob-gyn has a procedure such as a LEEP, we dont bill for it until we have the pathology report back so that we can put the appropriate diagnosis on it. If the report shows that the patient has a malignancy, the physician will see the patient in the office within the LEEPs global period. The physician spends a significant amount of time with the patient providing extensive counseling and discussion regarding the results and surgery, chemo, or other treatment options. The physician wants to charge for the visit, but the encounter has the same diagnosis as the related global periods procedure. Should we consider the encounter typical post-op care? Should we code this visit as an E/M or as a no-charge post op visit with 99024? Nebraska Subscriber Answer: A loop electrocautery excisional procedure (LEEP) does not specify what the ob-gyn did. It could be that he [...]
