Pediatric Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Intubation

Question: What is the correct code for intubation?

Maryland Subscriber
Answer: The code depends on what you do and why you do it. Intubation is passing a small plastic breathing tube across the vocal cords through the mouth and into the trachea. Simply visualizing the larynx does not qualify as intubation. If you place a tube in the trachea indirectly to provide breathing support in an emergency , code 31500 (intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure). This code is exempt from modifier -51 (multiple procedures); you can bill it with other procedures without fee reduction. If you perform intubation without aspiration, code 31520 (laryngoscopy, direct, with or without tracheoscopy; diagnostic, newborn). If meconium is aspirated from the larynx and trachea, code 31515 ( for aspiration).
  Reader Questions and You Be the Coder answered by Richard A. Molteni, MD, FAAP, vice president and medical director, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle; Richard H. Tuck, MD, FAAP, founding chairman, AAP coding and reimbursement committee, practicing pediatrician, Zanesville, Ohio; and  Thomas A. Kent, CPC, CMM, president, Kent Medical Management, Dunkirk, Md.
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more