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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

Include Admin and Removal in 36550

Published on Fri Apr 14, 2006

Question: Does 36550 include the removal of Activase as well as the administration? The patient came back the next day for removal.


Oregon Subscriber


Answer: Yes--36550 (Declotting by thrombolytic agent of implanted vascular access device or catheter) includes the administration and removal of the thrombolytic agent.

If you supplied the drug, you may also report the appropriate code for it, such as J2997 (Injection, alteplase recombinant, 1 mg) for Activase or J2995 (Injection, streptokinase, per 250,000 IU) for Streptase, which is also commonly used for declotting.

Your documentation may include a note about vascular device complications, which you may report with the appropriate code, such as 996.74 (Other complications due to other vascular device, implant, and graft).

You may also report E878.8 (Surgical operation and other surgical procedures as the cause of abnormal reaction of patient, or of later complication, without mention of misadventure at the time of operation; other specified surgical operations and procedures).
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