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. | |
