Wiki Intervention Cardiology

[jaimo]

Hi, My physicians like using the Ultrasound gudied vascular access code 76937, I understand that it has to be used with a qualifying primary code. My question is the documentation, with the understanding that in order to bill 76937 there is required documentation, but does that documentation explicit have to refer to the Vascular procedure being performed?

example: my physicians will perform Heart Cath with a Vascular procedure, i.e stent placement in pulmonary artery and want to bill the 76937 but the documentation doesn't refer to the stent placement even though it has all the required elements, it refers to another vessel, like accessing a femoral vessel because it's know that the pt has small femoral vessels for hemodynamics, once this is done then they note they turn their attention to the stent placement but no documentation stating the Ultrasound guidance was used for that. Under these circumstances should 76937 be billed?

Thanks in advance for any feed back anyone can provide

 

[devinmajor14]

This is what I found online yesterday about the use of this code.

Use of CPT code 76937 requires a permanent recorded image(s) of the vascular access site to be included in the patient record as well as a documented description of the process either separately or within the procedure report.Therefore, it is not appropriate to report CPT code 76937 for ultrasound guidance when ultrasound is utilized only to identify a vein, mark a skin entry point, and proceed with non-guided puncture.