The provider inserts a needle electrode into muscle innervated by cranial nerves on side of the body and records the electrical activity of the muscle or muscles during rest and contraction. He uses a computer and loudspeaker to convert this electrical activity into waveforms and these recordings into audible sounds respectively.
For clinical responsibility, terminology, tips and additional info
start codify free trial.
Resort to add-on codes for EMG in certain scenarios. When a patient reports to the neurologist for an electromyography (EMG), you need to be ready to identify the correct code for the service. It sounds simple enough, but the devil’s [...]
Question: A patient reports complaining of sudden-onset paralysis on the left side of their face and a drooping left eyebrow. The physician decides to perform a left-sided electromyography (EMG) and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain without contrast [...]
Question: The otolaryngologist resects a facial neuroma. Nerve monitoring is performed during the surgery to avoid facial nerve damage. How should we bill for this service? Minnesota Subscriber Answer: Facial nerves may be monitored intraoperatively to enhance the preservation of [...]
Make certain the documentation supports medical necessity. Times are tough, and you shouldn't leave any hard earned dollars on the table. If your otolaryngologist injects Botox directly into a patient's neck, you should examine whether you can code the EMG [...]
Question: I am trying to get my assistant surgeon paid for code 95920. Patient had a 42415 and I put a modifier 26 with it and it keeps getting denied as "payment does not get paid separately." What am I [...]
Question: When performing electromyography (EMG) on cranial nerve supplied muscles via the endotracheal tube sticker electrode, the sticker electrode measures one channel of EMG from both sides. Thus, it is bilateral monitoring with a single channel. Would that be considered [...]
Question: My neurologist performed an electromyography (EMG) on the laryngeal muscles via a special endotracheal tube with tracing electrodes. These measure one channel of EMG from both sides of the larynx. So this is bilateral monitoring with a single channel, [...]
Question: An article in Otolaryngology Coding Alert Vol. 10, No. 10, states that an audiologist can bill for monitoring of the eighth nerve using 92585 with +95920. No COrrect Coding Initiative (CCI) edit prevents billing needle electromyography (EEG) monitoring of [...]
Question: Can I use +95920 with EMGs? Illinois Subscriber Answer: You can use several of the electromyography (EMG) diagnostic study codes as the parent code to the add-on intraoperative monitoring (IOM) code +95920 (Intraoperative neurophysiology testing, per hour [List separately [...]
Surprise: Modifier 26 in the facility isn't a shoe in Your monitoring claim will be incomplete if you forget to look for these details. Recognize Passive, Active Monitoring When choosing the test code, go beyond "cranial" to look for the [...]
