Otolaryngology Coding Alert
Minutes Count for Tobacco Use Counseling
Question: Our physicians sometimes spend time counseling with patients about tobacco usage and the effects their tobacco usage has left on their body. We, as otolaryngologists, are treating these effects, and want to see the tobacco use stop, to assist in the diminishing of the effects. Is that something we can bill? Nevada Subscriber Answer: As part of your EM service, you can provide counseling. Actually, you can base your level of the EM service on time if total visit time is documented, that 50% of the time was for counseling and what counseling topic(s) were addressed. Since your doctors are not directly addressing the addictive attributes of tobacco, but your physicians are addressing the toxic effects of tobacco, the ICD-9 that would be appropriate for this EM visit including counseling would be: 989.84 (Toxic effects of Tobacco) along with the effect, such as Hoarseness, neoplasm, coughing, mass (site specific), etc. Code 989.84 would be a secondary diagnosis to the actual problem that has been caused by the tobacco.
Otolaryngology Coding Alert
- Surgery:
Test Your Thyroidectomy and Neck Dissection Coding Skills
Functional, selective, radical refer to the same procedure.Nine codes and five terms can challenge your [...] - Case Study:
Check Your HPI, Risk IQ With Decision for Fracture Txt
Hint: Your ENT's recs are the ones to count under mgt options.When a patient has [...] - Auditing:
MDM: Weigh Surgical Risk to Snag the Correct E/M Level
These definitions take the mystery out of moderate vs high surgical management options.You could be [...] - CCI:
CCI to Reverse Edits Involving Vestibular Testing
Effective Oct. 1, you'll be able to use a modifier to separate these services when [...] - What Is a CCI Edit?
Every quarter, the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) puts out a list of code pairs that [...] - You Be the Coder:
Check Method, Site For Oral Lesion Coding
Question: An otolaryngologist plans on treating precancerous multiple mucosal lip lesions with a laser. Should [...] - Reader Questions:
Get "Administrative H&P" Straight
Question:I'm an ENT coder, and I have a question about billing for a consent and [...] - Reader Questions:
Fix Middle Ear Surgery Reimbursement Leak
Question: My physician performed a tympanoplasty with mastoidectomy. During the surgery, he discovered a tegmen [...] - Reader Questions:
Call on 24 for New Px at Post-Op Visit
Question:An ENT sees a patient in follow-up for a tympanoplasty (69436, Tympanostomy [requiring insertion of [...] - Reader Questions:
Minutes Count for Tobacco Use Counseling
Question:Our physicians sometimes spend time counseling with patients about tobacco usage and the effects their [...]
