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Understand Different Types of Ovarian Cysts
Published on Fri Dec 01, 2000
Finding the correct procedure code and diagnosis code for ovarian cysts can be a challenge. This is due in part to the large variety of ovarian cysts, and the fact that one type of cyst might go by several different names. Others share the same ICD-9 code even though by definition they are very different from one another. Still other ovarian cysts do not fit into any designated category, and get assigned to an unspecified ICD-9 code. The procedure coding for the pathologists examination of cystic ovaries depends on whether the condition is considered neoplastic. pathology Coder should understand the difference between cysts and know how to translate the definitions into the correct codes for proper reimbursement.
We assign both the procedure and the diagnosis code for ovarian cysts based on the pathology report, says Peggy Slagle, CPC, billing compliance coordinator for the department of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Coders need to be familiar with the language they may see in the report describing the various cysts. And they must be educated about how to accurately translate that language into the correct ICD-9 code.
In our practice, the pathologist conducting the examination of the ovarian cyst assigns the procedure code, says Stephen Yurco III, MD, partner and pathologist at Clinical Pathology Associates in Austin, Texas. The examination will fall under one of two CPT codes: 88305 or 88307. Code 88305 (level IV surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination) is used to describe the work involved in examining a cystic ovary from an oophorectomy (... ovary with or without tube, non-neoplastic), or an ovarian cyst from a cystectomy (... ovary, biopsy/wedge resection).
Code 88307 (level IV surgical pathology, gross and microscopic examination, ovary with or without tube, neoplastic) would be used for the examination of a neoplastic oophorectomy specimen, Yurco advises. Correct procedure coding clearly depends on the pathologists categorization of the cyst as neoplastic or non-neoplastic. Although the ICD-9 code is assigned by the clinician who receives our pathology report, we must use our pathological diagnosis to assign the appropriate procedure code.
Below are the definitions of the most common types of cysts, along with the proper ICD9 Code for each. It is also indicated whether the cyst is considered neoplastic and the appropriate procedure code to use based on that determination.
Functional Cysts
The most common ovarian cysts are called functional cysts. They are non-neoplastic, therefore you should code 88305 for the pathologists service for the examination of the ovary. Functional cysts are generally formed by the collection of fluid in [...]
