Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Match the site to the documentation and you-ll choose the right code every time

If you don't know the differences among the laryngoscopy codes, you could be miscoding to the tune of $500 -- the difference in reimbursement between the highest (31546) and lowest valued (31505) laryngoscopy codes.
 
You-d be on easy street if physicians could simply document -laryngoscopy- and CPT offered a code for it. But CPT lists 29 distinct laryngoscopy codes, so you-ll need to recognize the differences among laryngoscopy types. Pair this anatomic drawing with the chart below to confirm which type of endoscopy your surgeon performed.