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Pulmonology Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

Bronchoscopy Without Incision

Published on Thu Nov 01, 2001

Test your coding knowledge.  Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.
Question: During a bronchoscopy, a tumor is lasered and lavaged to get the tissue out, until most of the tumor is removed. Should we code 31635, 31641, or both?

New York Subscriber

Answer: Report 31641 (bronchoscopy; with destruction of tumor or relief of stenosis by any method other than excision [e.g., laser]) when a bronchoscopy is performed with destruction of a tumor or relief of stenosis by any method other than excision. Report 31635 (bronchoscopy; with removal of foreign body) when a foreign body is removed via bronchoscopy. A tumor cannot be considered a "foreign body," and removal of fragments of tumor by irrigation or any other means is part of the procedure of tumor destruction and relief of obstruction.
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