Urology Coding Alert
Diagnosis Code Surgery Complications
Question: What are the correct diagnosis codes for a patient who had a spermatocelectomy one day and surgery for a hematoma the next day? Is it appropriate to use the 998.1x series for complications of a procedure that don't occur at the actual time the procedure is being performed? Or will I need to use a code from the 998 series that is more explicitly for postoperative complications? New York Subscriber Answer: Regardless of whether the complication arose at the time of or after the initial procedure, in this case the spermatocelectomy, you should still choose an appropriate code from the 998.1x series to indicate the hematoma. And from the little information you have provided, 998.12, Hematoma complicating a procedure, appears to be the correct choice. If you are coding for a hospital, you need to use an E code, such as E879.x, to indicate that the hematoma was a complication that occurred after the completion of the spermatocelectomy.
Urology Coding Alert
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Brush up on your modifiers, coders: You are your practice's best line of defense against [...] - Reader Question:
Diagnosis Code Surgery Complications
Question: What are the correct diagnosis codes for a patient who had a spermatocelectomy one [...] - Reader Question:
Dont Avoid Coding Voiding Trials
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Question: During a planned ureteroscopy, stone extraction, and possible laser lithotripsy procedure, my urologist found [...] - Reader Question:
Dont Mix -57 and Minor Procedures
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Question: When we report multiple medium bladder tumors resected in a single surgical session, can [...] - Reader Question:
Stop the Search for an Incision Code
Question: What is the code for a post-prostatectomy bladder neck contracture that was treated by [...] - Reader Question:
Contract 52601 and -22
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Avoid Comparable DrugCodes
Question: How should I code for the drug neomycin when it is used for bladder [...] - Reader Question:
When Appropriate,Unbundle
Question: Is it appropriate to use modifier -59 to break the bundle between 52318 and [...] - Reader Question:
Examine Biopsy Code Definitions
Question: Should I use modifier -51 or modifier -59 to code multiple bladder lesions biopsied [...] - Reader Question:
Use Image to Choose 51798 or 76775
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Re-Examine the Documentation
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Exclude Bladder Lesion Margins
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the [...]
