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Urology Coding Alert

You Be the Coder:

RITA Procedure

Published on Sun Oct 01, 2000

Question: Our physician performs radio-frequency interstitial tumor ablation (RITA). How do we bill for this?

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Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the box below for the answer.





Answer: RITA of the prostate is a transperineal procedure that does not have a specific CPT code. Although there are no official code recommendations for this procedure, use the code for an unlisted procedure of the male genital system (55899). This will require submission of an operative report.
Laura Siniscalchi, RRA, CCS, CCS-P, CPC, an education coordinator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, provided the answer.

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