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Urology Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

51700 Requires More Than Placement Check

Published on Tue Apr 19, 2011

Question:What codes should I use when my urologist performed bedside irrigation of an already-in-place catheter because there were blood clots?California SubscriberAnswer:When a urologist irrigates a catheter to remove blood clots you can report 51700 (Bladder irrigation, simple, lavage and/or instillation) -- assuming you are not in the global period of another surgery. Caveat: You should not bill an irrigation code when your urologist places a catheter and then irrigates the catheter to be sure it is properly placed.
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