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Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

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G0364: Report It Alone or With Another Code?

Published on Tue Nov 09, 2010

Question: I'm confused about proper use of G0364. Should we report it by itself to represent aspiration and biopsy, or should we report it with another code?Answer: For Medicare and payers following Medicare's rule, you should report G0364 (Bone marrow aspiration performed with bone marrow biopsy through the same incision on the same date of service) in addition to 38221 (Bone marrow; biopsy, needle or trocar) when the physician performs bone marrow aspiration (G0364) and biopsy (38221) through the same skin incision on the same date of service.You can get a better understanding of the rule by reading Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) manual, version 16.3, chapter 5, section E.1. It instructs:"When both a bone marrow biopsy (CPT code 38221) and bone marrow aspiration (CPT code 38220 [Bone marrow; aspiration only]) are performed at the same site through the same skin incision, do not report the bone marrow aspiration, CPT code [...]
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