Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: My ob-gyn admitted a patient to the hospital to do an induction for a missed abortion at 20+1 weeks. Can I bill this?

Arkansas Subscriber

Answer: This will be state-controlled, but you can bill a missed abortion, in which the physician induces the patient to go through labor at more than 20 weeks 0 days, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

You will use 59855 (Induced abortion, by one or more vaginal suppositories [e.g., prostaglandin] with or without cervical dilation [e.g., laminaria], including hospital admission and visits, delivery of fetus and secundines) if your ob-gyn induced with a cervical dilator.

Sometimes, you may report 59400-52 (Routine obstetric care including antepartum care, vaginal delivery [with or without episiotomy, and/or forceps] and postpartum care; reduced services) when the patient labors, but induction is via IV Pitocin or rupture of membranes.-

Remember: The result is not a live fetus delivery. You should use diagnosis code 632 (Missed abortion), but state regulations will control your ability to bill for a delivery.