Radiology Coding Alert

Question: I have a report that says "torso child foreign body." The radiology report reads: Lateral view of neck, single view of chest, and single view of the abdomen were obtained. I looked at the X-rays and there are three different X-rays, one for each part of the body mentioned in the above line. Which CPT^® codes should be used for this report? Code 76010 for foreign body X-ray specifies "single view."

Florida Subscriber

Answer: You should code the individual services ordered and performed rather than reporting 76010 (Radiologic examination from nose to rectum for foreign body, single view, child) in this case. Depending on your final documentation, codes may include 70360 (Radiologic examination; neck, soft tissue), 71010 (Radiologic examination, chest; single view, frontal), and 74000 (Radiologic examination, abdomen; single anteroposterior view).

As you note, 76010 represents the work required to take and interpret a single view rather than representing the three views in your case. In discussing the definition of "child" for code 76010, CPT^® Assistant (February 2010) emphasizes the "single view" nature of the code: "Any patient who measures less than 17 inches from nose to rectum, and thereby fits on a single (14 X 17 inch) film would fit the definition of ‘child’ for this study."