Otolaryngology Coding Alert
Identify Services That Don’t Extend Beyond E/M Visit
Question: Our practice saw a patient who had bitten her tongue and lip following a dental procedure where she was administered local anesthetic. The provider packed the tongue and lip using a topical powder which subsequently stopped the bleeding. What’s the CPT® code for this? Indiana Subscriber Answer: There are no existing codes in the CPT® manual that you should report for the packing of a bleeding lip and/or tongue. Your closest option, code 42960 (Control oropharyngeal hemorrhage, primary or secondary (eg, post-tonsillectomy); simple), is typically designated for instances of postsurgical bleeding of the soft palate, throat, tonsils, and back third of the tongue. Instead of opting for a CPT® code, the correct course of action is to include this service as a component of the evaluation and management (E/M) visit. However, you’ll want to be sure to consider how the leveling of the E/M service may change when the guidelines shift in 2021.
Otolaryngology Coding Alert
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