Radiology Coding Alert

Question: Can we continue to submit code 77003 for fluoroscopic guidance in spinal injection procedures? Are there any updates that apply to 77003 in this year?

Ohio Subscriber

Answer: In the current year, you can continue to submit code 77003 (Fluoroscopic guidance and localization of needle or catheter tip for spine or paraspinous diagnostic or therapeutic injection procedures [epidural or subarachnoid] [List separately in addition to code for primary procedure]) for fluoroscopic guidance for spinal injection procedures. However, remember that this code is now an add-on code. This essentially means that fluoroscopy cannot be a standalone procedure. You will always submit code 77003 with the applicable codes for the primary procedure.

77003 does not apply if fluoroscopy is inclusive: You cannot submit code 77003 for intervention procedures in which the fluoroscopic guidance is inherent to the procedure. The procedure codes are then inclusive of the fluoroscopic guidance.

Example: Do not submit code 77003 with code 62321 (Injection[s], of diagnostic or therapeutic substance[s] [e.g., anesthetic, antispasmodic, opioid, steroid, other solution], not including neurolytic substances, including needle or catheter placement, interlaminar epidural or subarachnoid, cervical or thoracic; with imaging guidance [i.e., fluoroscopy or CT]). The fluoroscopic guidance is inclusive in code 62321.