Radiology Coding Alert

Question: Is it correct to report code 72010 (Radiologic examination, spine, entire, survey study, anteroposterior and lateral) instead of 72070 (Radiologic examination, spine; thoracic, 2 views), 72040 (Radiologic examination, spine, cervical; 2 or 3 views), and 72100 (Radiologic examination, spine, lumbosacral; 2 or 3 views)?

New York Subscriber

Answer: You physician may not routinely be doing a full examination of the spine. Usually, an emergency physician may be requesting a full exam of one or more spinal regions. You should code 72010 (Radiologic examination, spine, entire, survey study, anteroposterior and lateral) only when it is a stand-alone examination.

You may report 72010 instead of reporting 72070 (Radiologic examination, spine; thoracic, 2 views), 72040 (Radiologic examination, spine, cervical; 2 or 3 views), and 72100 (Radiologic examination, spine, lumbosacral; 2 or 3 views). It is best to check the payer preferences too. Also make sure the service provided by your radiologist matches that covered by the code, i.e. the AP and lateral views. You use code 72010 to report a survey study of the entire spine.

What is a spine survey? A spine survey study is commonly performed to obtain scoliosis measurements or evaluate for spine metastasis. This radiologic examination involves obtaining anteroposterior (AP) and lateral views of the entire spine. The number of films required will vary depending on the size of the film available and the size of the patient examined. For an adult patient, the study may require six films (the AP and lateral views of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine). For smaller patients (e.g., a pediatric patient), it may be possible to obtain the AP and lateral views of the entire spine with fewer films. These films are then interpreted as a single study (i.e., one study is reported regardless of the number of films taken).