You Be the Coder:
Doppler Imaging
Published on Mon Jan 01, 2001
Question: Our new ultrasound machine in the office has color Doppler capability, but I cant find a code for a gynecological scan using Doppler imaging. Does one exist?
Arkansas Subscriber
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
Answer: Now, add-on code 93325 (Doppler echocardiography color flow velocity mapping [list separately in addition to codes for echocardiography]) is appropriate for color mapping. But, because virtually every new ultrasound machine now has the Doppler function, there is a move to revamp the ultrasound codes to include this function in the future. Note, however, that this code can be coded only by itself or in addition to fetal echocardiography (76825-76828). If you are trying to bill for color mapping with any other ultrasound procedure, like a transvaginal ultrasound (76830), you are essentially out of luck unless you can make a case for adding modifier -22 for unusual procedural services to the ultrasound code based on the documentation.
