Radiology Coding Alert

Question: Our radiology practice recently joined a larger medical group. As a result, we’ve transitioned to a different system for reporting KUB ultrasounds. We used to report 76770 for a KUB because the radiologist performed and interpreted the ultrasound in the clinic. However, now the radiologist performs the procedure, and the ordering physician interprets the results.

Are we not allowed to bill 76770 for KUB ultrasounds anymore?

Maryland Subscriber

Answer: You can still report 76770 (Ultrasound, retroperitoneal (eg, renal, aorta, nodes), real time with image documentation; complete) for kidney-ureter-bladder (KUB) ultrasounds, but you’ll need to append the code with an appropriate modifier.

In the scenario you described, you’ll append TC (Technical component …) to 76770 to report the radiologist’s portion of the service. The physician interpreting the results will report 76770-26 (Professional component). If the radiologist performs the ultrasound and interprets the results, then you may report 76770 without any modifiers since this is the global code that includes both the technical and professional components.

Code 76770 is reported for a complete ultrasound of the retroperitoneum. The complete ultrasound includes real-time scans of the kidneys, common iliac artery origins, abdominal aorta, and inferior vena cava, as well as any abnormalities in the body area.

Press record: AMA CPT^® code set guidelines require permanently recorded images with measurements, when applicable, for all diagnostic ultrasound examinations.