Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Find out why this isn't all good news.

Reserve a place for a few changes in 2012 if your practice performs services for hearing disorders.

When a patient suffers from an unobstructed outer ear canal, the audiologist would likely perform an otoacoustic emission testing (OAE) to screen hearing and determine cochlear status. During an evoked OAE, the normal inner ear generates acoustic signals in response to outside stimuli. New code 92558 (Evoked otoacoustic emissions, screening [qualitative measurement of distortion product or transient evoked otoacoustic emissions], automated analysis) will describe the automated analysis of evoked OAE.

The following revised codes will be listed after it:

• 92587 -- Distortion product evoked otoacoustic emissions; limited evaluation (to confirm the presence or absence of hearing disorder, 3-6 frequencies) or transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, with interpretation and report
• 92588 -- ...comprehensive diagnostic evaluation (quantitative analysis of outer hair cell function by cochlear mapping, minimum of 12 frequencies), with interpretation and report.

"I am glad CPT® has a definition to 92587 and 92588. I'm not happy about the reimbursement (or lack of) that they will be receiving, especially 92588," remarks Debbie Abel, Au.D., director of reimbursement and practice compliance, American Academy of Audiology in Reston, VA.