Radiology Coding Alert

Question: What's the appropriate code to report for a HIDA scan?


Minnesota Subscriber

Answer: Code 78223 (Hepatobiliary ductal system imaging including gallbladder with or without pharmacologic intervention with or without quantitative measurement of gallbladder function) describes this scan.

Don't forget: If your practice bears the pharmaceutical cost report A9510 (Technetium Tc-99m disofenin diagnostic per study dose up to 15 millicuries) for the injected material. 

Reimbursement for 78223 includes the injection procedure so you should not report a separate intravenous injection code for the physician's work injecting the radiopharmaceutical.
 
The scan: A hydroxy iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan is an imaging test that physicians use to examine the gallbladder and the ducts leading into and out of it. Physicians often perform these tests to determine whether patients have bile duct obstructions.

During this test also referred to as cholescintigraphy the physician performs an intravenous injection of a radioactive material called hydroxy iminodiacetic acid.

The provider then uses a gamma camera to capture biliary tract images.