Pulmonology Coding Alert
MDI Instruction During Office Visit
Maryland Subscriber
Answer: Codes 94664-94665 (aerosol or vapor inhalations for sputum mobilization, bronchodilation, or sputum induction for diagnostic purposes ...) and 94640 (nonpressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction) are complete codes, meaning they cannot be divided into technical and physician components. If a physician or a member of the office staff performs the service, it can be recorded as a stand-alone service, or in addition to an E/M service with a modifier -25 (significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service). You will be reimbursed for all the charges associated with these codes, which contain multiple components. Therefore, if an E/M service is provided by a physician on the same date, the physician should report the service provided using the appropriate E/M code (99201-99215). It is correct coding to add modifier -25 to the E/M to identify that it was separate and identifiable from the other procedure or service provided on the same day. However, Medicare does not require it for payment at this time.
Pulmonology Coding Alert
- Optimize Reimbursement for Sleep Apnea Treatment With Careful Code Selection
Pulmonologists frequently see patients suffering from sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, both obstructive and [...] - Choose the Right E/M Level for Proper Payments on New Patients
Pulmonology coders should be familiar with the five levels of new patient office or outpatient [...] - You Be the Coder:
Pulse Oximetry at Home
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the [...] - Reader Question:
Bronchoscopy Codes
Question: Can a bronchoscopy with washings, brushings and alveolar lavage and biopsy be billed using [...] - Reader Question:
Pleural Biopsy
Question: When a patient frequently has a large pleural effusion, and a pleural biopsy is [...] - Reader Question:
Transbronchial Lung Biopsy
Question: If I start with transbronchial lung biopsy to avoid false positives and then perform [...] - Reader Question:
MDI Instruction During Office Visit
Question: When a nurse instructs a patient how to use a metered-dose inhaler (MDI) during [...] - Reader Question:
Separate Biopsy Sites
Question: A doctor performed a bronchoscopy with biopsies and brushing in the right-middle lobe and [...] - News Brief:
Draft E/M Guidelines Scrapped
Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee on July 19, 2001, Tommy Thompson, secretary [...] - Reader Question:
Modifier -25 With Allergy Immunotherapy
Question: When can I use modifier -25 for coding allergy immunotherapy?
Wisconsin Subscriber
Answer: If [...] - Reader Question:
Critical Care Codes
Question: Can 99291-99292 be used twice in the same day, provided the critical states are [...]
