Radiology Coding Alert

Find out if you correctly coded the examples presented on page 19. Exam 1

Report the MRI of the abdomen with CPT 74183 (Magnetic resonance [e.g., proton] imaging, abdomen; without contrast material[s] followed by with contrast materials[s] and further sequences).

Report the MRI of the pelvis with CPT 72197 (Magnetic resonance [e.g., proton] imaging, pelvis; without contrast material[s], followed by contrast material[s] and further sequences).

You should not report a separate code for the delayed coronal imaging.

Remember: The provider may only need to inject contrast once to get both the MRI of the pelvis with contrast and the MRI of the abdomen with contrast, but you can still report both as “with contrast.” Exam 2

Choose 76700 (Ultrasound, abdominal, B-scan and/or real time with image documentation; complete) for the ultrasound of the abdomen.

Code 76856 (Ultrasound, pelvic [nonobstetric],   B-scan and/or real time with image documentation; complete) describes the pelvic ultrasound.

Remember: The report must mention all the required elements for complete abdominal and pelvic ultrasound exams. A complete ultrasound exam of the abdomen (76700) “consists of B mode scans of the liver, gall bladder, common bile duct, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, and the upper abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava including any demonstrated abdominal abnormality,” according to CPT guidelines.

For women, 76856 includes “a description and measurements of the uterus and adnexal structures, measurement of the endometrium and bladder (when applicable), and a description of any pelvic pathology,” CPT says.

Answers reviewed by Jackie Miller, RHIA, CPC, senior consultant with Coding Strategies Inc. in Powder Springs, Ga.; and Gary S. Dorfman, MD, FACR, FSIR.