Radiology Coding Alert

Question: Our radiologist captured posteroanterior (PA) and oblique X-ray views of a patient’s right third, fourth, and fifth digits. What code should we assign for X-rays of three fingers?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: You’ll assign 73140 (Radiologic examination, finger(s), minimum of 2 views) to report the X-rays. The code requires a minimum of two views, which the radiologist captured with the PA and oblique views. Additionally, regardless of how many fingers were imaged, you’ll assign 73140 since the descriptor covers one or multiple digits.

The PA view is ideal for viewing the distal, middle, and proximal phalanx as well as the joint spaces of the patient’s fingers. The distal phalanxes are the third of the three bones of the fingers when you count from the hand to the fingertips, whereas the proximal phalanxes are the first bones in the fingers when you count from the hand to the fingertips. When the radiologist captures an oblique view of the fingers, they will rotate the patient’s hand approximately 45 degrees with the thumb side up. This allows the radiologist to capture images without the fingers superimposed on one another.

Digit specificity: Depending on your individual payer’s preferences, you may need to append the CPT^® code with digit-specific modifiers. Based on your scenario, you could append 73140 with F7 (Right hand, third digit), F8 (Right hand, fourth digit), and F9 (Right hand, fifth digit) to show the radiologist performed the procedure on the third, fourth, and fifth digits of the right hand.