Wiki Supartz knee joint injection and Baker;s cyst drainage

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celcano

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My physician did a Supartz knee injection and a Baker's cyst drainage during the same session (same knee). On the Supartz injection, he identified the superior and lateral corner of the knee under USG and then advanced the needle into the knee joint. For the Baker's cyst was located in the posterior portion of the knee joint. These were two different points of entry. Can he bill two units of 20611 or should it only be one?

Thank you for your guidance.
 
AMA CPT Assistant February 2015
"Both aspiration and/or injection are inherently included as part of the service as noted in the descriptors for these codes. As a result, either code may only be reported once per joint or bursa."

AMA CPT Assistant
March 2001 page 10
Coding Consultation
Musculoskeletal System, Surgery, 20610 (Q&A)
Question
When aspiration of fluid from the knee joint is performed as well as injection of medication into the knee joint, can code 20610, Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee joint, subacromial bursa), be reported two times, once for the aspiration of fluid and once for the injection of medication?

AMA Comment
From a CPT coding perspective, the term "and/or" in the code descriptor of code 20610 indicates that the code includes the performance of one or all of the procedures described in the same major joint or bursa. Therefore, code 20610 should only be reported one time when both aspiration and injection are performed in the same major joint or bursa.
 
dwaldman said:
AMA CPT Assistant February 2015
"Both aspiration and/or injection are inherently included as part of the service as noted in the descriptors for these codes. As a result, either code may only be reported once per joint or bursa."

AMA CPT Assistant
March 2001 page 10
Coding Consultation
Musculoskeletal System, Surgery, 20610 (Q&A)
Question
When aspiration of fluid from the knee joint is performed as well as injection of medication into the knee joint, can code 20610, Arthrocentesis, aspiration and/or injection; major joint or bursa (eg, shoulder, hip, knee joint, subacromial bursa), be reported two times, once for the aspiration of fluid and once for the injection of medication?

AMA Comment
From a CPT coding perspective, the term "and/or" in the code descriptor of code 20610 indicates that the code includes the performance of one or all of the procedures described in the same major joint or bursa. Therefore, code 20610 should only be reported one time when both aspiration and injection are performed in the same major joint or bursa.
Click to expand...

Query. What if the doctor did two pain injections in two different bursal sites in the shoulder perhaps? Would that qualify for two 20610 codes?

Peace
?_?
Thanks in advance.
 
daedolos ,

As mentioned in the other shoulder injection thread, the below was describing from CMS as only reporting 1 unit for "one or more bursae"


https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/NationalCorrectCodInitEd/index.html

7. CPT codes 20600-20611 are a family of codes describing arthrocentesis for aspiration and/or injection of different sized joints or bursae with or without ultrasound guidance. The unit of service (UOS) for each of these codes is a joint and its surrounding bursae, if any. A physician should not report more than one (1) UOS for arthrocentesis of any one joint regardless of whether or not the physician also aspirates or injects one or more of its surrounding bursae. For example, if a physician performs arthrocentesis of the shoulder and two bursae of the same shoulder without ultrasound guidance, only 1 UOS of CPT code 20610 may be reported.
 
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