Radiology Coding Alert

Question: A coworker wants me to bill 96372 with transforaminal epidural injections that use computed tomography (CT) guidance. I don’t think that is appropriate, but I can’t find documentation providing instruction one way or the other.

Which one of us is correct?

Codify Subscriber

Answer: You won’t report 96372 (Therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic injection (specify substance or drug); subcutaneous or intramuscular) with CT-guided transforaminal epidural injection codes, which include:

• 64479 (Injection(s), anesthetic agent(s) and/or steroid; transforaminal epidural, with imaging guidance (fluoroscopy or CT), cervical or thoracic, single level)
• +64480 (… each additional level (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure))
• 64483 (Injection(s), anesthetic agent(s) and/or steroid; transforaminal epidural, with imaging guidance (fluoroscopy or CT), lumbar or sacral, single level)
• +64484 (… each additional level (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure))

Code 96372’s descriptor includes “subcutaneous or intramuscular,” which do not apply to therapeutic epidural injections