Pediatric Coding Alert

Question: We often show patients how to maneuver the car seat and recently heard this is a billable service. Can you tell us how to code it?

Indiana Subscriber

Answer: CPT® 2012 debuted new codes for car seat testing, as follows, but you have to meet certain criteria to bill them:

• 94780 --Car seat/bed testing for airway integrity, neonate, with continual nursing observation and continuous recording of pulse oximetry, heart rate and respiratory rate, with interpretation and report; 60 minutes
• +94781 --...each additional full 30 minutes (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

As noted in the descriptors, these codes go beyond helping the family figure out how to get the baby in and out of the car seat—instead, these refer to services aimed at patients who are premature or at-risk before they are discharged. As noted in the descriptors, the services include continuous recording of respiratory and heart rate and require a report.

Indiana Medicaid notes on its website that it pays about $36 for 94780 and another $36 if you report the add-on code +94781. 

If you help the family get accustomed to using the car seat for a healthy baby in your office, you’ll typically roll that into the E/M service for the day rather than billing separately for it.