Pathology/Lab Coding Alert

Avoid pitfalls at each pathology exam stage. When a patient advances through multiple diagnostic and treatment steps for breast cancer, your pathologist might perform a host of procedures. Let our experts lead you through one case in point -- from initial patient complaint to definitive diagnosis -- so you can learn how to capture all the pay your pathologist deserves. Phase 1: List 1 FNA for 2 Cytology Scenario: Patient presents at physician office with a lump in her right breast (upper inner quadrant). The treating physician sends the patient for a mammogram. Suspecting ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) based on the findings, the radiololgist extracts a fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimen and sends it to the pathologist for interpretation. The pathologist examines the FNA specimen using Pap staining of direct and concentrated smears, and confirms cellular changes consistent with pre-invasive cancerous changes of DCIS. Solution: Because the pathologist did not perform [...]