Radiology Coding Alert

Question: I have a report that states the radiologist performed a four-view unilateral hip X-ray with stress view and interpreted the results. I’m new to radiology coding and am unsure of what a stress view is. Can we code separately for it?

New York Subscriber

Answer: A stress view is an X-ray image of a joint taken while a physician or other qualified healthcare provider places stress on the joint and hold it in a position that allows the provider to assess the injury’s extent before surgery or to evaluate whether the injury is healing without needing surgery.

The good news is that you can code separately for the stress view. You’ll assign 73503 (Radiologic examination, hip, unilateral, with pelvis when performed; minimum of 4 views) to report the four-view hip X-ray. Next, you’ll assign 77071 (Manual application of stress performed by physician or other qualified health care professional for joint radiography, including contralateral joint if indicated) to report the services performed to create the stress view.