You Be the Coder:
Stress Testing
Published on Wed Aug 01, 2001
Question: Pulmonary stress testing may be billed with 94620 and 94621. If a patient exhibits characteristics applicable to either code, is there a determining factor regarding which code to use? Can both be used separately?
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Answer: Code 94620 (pulmonary stress testing; simple [e.g., prolonged exercise test for bronchospasm with pre- and post-spirometry) is used for a simple stress test, which can be used to identify exercise-induced bronchospasm when a patient is having difficulty breathing upon exertion.
It can also be used to diagnose the severity of a patient's lung disease, which is already known. Code 94621 (... complex [including measurement of CO2 production, O2 uptake, and electrocardiographic recordings]) is for a complex stress test, which measures some cardiac output as well as lung function. The measurement of CO2 production, O2 uptake and ECG recordings will allow the physician to determine the patient's pulmonary and cardiac responses to exercise.
94621 is often used when other studies have failed to identify the cause of the patient's respiratory compromise. Given the physical nature of the tests, it is not likely that a patient would undergo them both on the same date. | |
