Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Question: We're an independent facility that performs and reports port films for our radiation patients. Should I report 77417 per film, per portal, or per treatment week?

Pennsylvania Subscriber

Answer: Facilities should report port films once per five fractions (the treatment management "week") "regardless of the number offilms required or portals evaluated," according to the February 2006 CPT Assistant. CMS offers the same rule in Medicare Claims Processing Manual, chapter 13, section 70.3 9 (available at www.cms.gov/Manuals/IOM/list.asp).

Note that 77417 (Therapeutic radiology port film[s]) is a technical component only code, so only the facility that performs the imaging should report the code.

As always: If a payer gives you instructions in writing that you should report 77417 in a different manner, you should comply with those instructions on that payer's claims.

-- Clinical and coding expertise for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions provided by Kelly C. Loya, CPC-I, CPhT, senior consultant with Los Angeles-based Sinaiko Healthcare Consulting Inc.