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Pulmonology Coding Alert

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Use Multiple Endoscopy Rules For Same Family of Scopes

Published on Wed Aug 22, 2012

Question: I was going through the CCI edits checker and I know that 31624 and 31629 are not bundled. My question is that I want to know if these two procedural codes are in the same "family" of scopes where only one is paid.Alabama Subscriber Answer: You are right about the information that 31624 (Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; with bronchial alveolar lavage) and 31629 (Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; with transbronchial needle aspiration biopsy[s], trachea, main stem and/or lobar bronchus[i]) are not bundled as per the guidelines laid down by the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) edits. Both these procedures are in the same "family" of bronchoscopy codes under the basic diagnostic bronchoscopy code 31622 (Bronchoscopy, rigid or flexible, including fluoroscopic guidance, when performed; diagnostic, with cell washing, when performed [separate procedure]).When both the procedures described by 31624 and 31629 are performed by [...]
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