Wiki Procedure Question

[ggold]

One of my providers has asked if clips are placed prophylactically after polyp removal in a patient on coumadin, can this service be billed? I am aware that bleeding caused by the removal is not separately billable but thought this may be the exception since is done to prevent bleeding due to the patient's anticoagulated state. ggold

 

[syllingk]

My answer would be no. Only the most definitive procedure would be billed.
Think of this senario. Patient has two polyps in the sigmoid colon. One is removed piecemeal with forceps and the larger one is removed by snare and then some bleeding occures that needs to be controlled and then doctor tattoos the area to find it on further surviellance. You would only bill one code for all that work since they are in the same anatomical area. Now if you controlled bleeding in one area and then snared a polyp in another you could bill both.