Primary Care Coding Alert

Question: We treated a patient experiencing asthma exacerbation and gave her a nebulization treatment with ipratropium and albuterol. What is the valid code for this?

Missouri Subscriber

Answer: The albuterol/ipratropium bromide combination is an inhaled drug combination commonly marketed as DuoNeb Inhalation Solution. The correct HCPCS J code for this inhalation solution is J7620 (Albuterol, up to 2.5 mg, and ipratropium bromide, up to 0.5 mg, FDA-approved final product, noncompounded, administered through DME).

Code J7620 is for one dose only. For multiple doses of DuoNeb, be sure to code for each dose on your claim. Remember to always confirm the substance and amount administered before selecting the final drug code. Documentation of the treatment should include the type and amount of medication required.

For the administration of the inhalation solution (meaning the nebulizer treatment), use 94640 (Pressurized or nonpressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction or for sputum induction for diagnostic purposes [e.g., with an aerosol generator, nebulizer, metered dose inhaler, or intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) device]).