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Pulmonology Coding Alert

Reader Question:

Patient-Initiated Spirometry

Published on Mon Apr 01, 2002

Question: Should patient-initiated spirometry be reported on the last day of the 30-day period or per calendar month?

Virginia Subscriber

Answer: Transtelephonic spirometry is also known as patient-initiated spirometry. It is a method of obtaining ongoing spirometric analysis of lung function and requires that the patient perform spirometry at home, based on time intervals or criteria established by the physician. It is inappropriate to bill this service for a patient residing in an inpatient facility.
 
Transtelephonic spirometry includes all measurements, transmissions and interpretations over a 30-day period and should be reported on the last day of the 30-day period. When you report these services, the technical and professional component must be performed for each 30-day period billed. Therefore, report 94014 (Patient-initiated spirometric recording per 30-day period of time; includes reinforced education, transmission of spirometric tracing, data capture, analysis of transmitted data, periodic recalibration and physician review and interpretation) if the pulmonologist owns the equipment. If he or she does not own the equipment (e.g., leases the equipment from an entity that maintains it), report only the interpretation
and report with 94016 ( physician review and interpretation only).

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