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Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Strike Through Code for Sterile Specula Exam

Published on Sat Apr 26, 2008

Question: My ob-gyn wants to know if CPT has a code for a "sterile specula exam."-The doctor says this service is complicated and takes a lot of time.-Am I just missing it? Michigan Subscriber Answer: Ob-gyns normally perform this type of exam when the physician needs to check for premature labor yet not introduce bacteria into the vaginal canal.-This service is a part of ob care and an exam portion of any E/M service, not separately billable from an E/M service (such as 99212-99214, Office or other outpatient visit for the evaluation and management of an established patient -) or global care (59400-59622) if that is what you are billing. -- The answers for Reader Questions and You Be the Coder were provided by Melanie Witt, RN, CPC-OGS, MA, an ob-gyn coding expert based in Guadalupita, N.M.
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