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Orthopedic Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Depo-Medrol Billing

Published on Mon Oct 01, 2001

Question: Due to the unavailability of Celestone for injections, we are considering a switch to Depo-Medrol in 40-mg units. Is this billed by the unit, and which code should I use?

Ohio Subscriber
Answer: Depo-Medrol, like Celestone, is billed by the unit in 20-, 40- or 80-mg quantities using J1020, J1030 or J1040. If you give a 100-mg injection, bill for J1020 and J1040, at one unit for each code. Or you can bill J1020 x 5 (for 100 mg), depending on carrier preference.
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