Sunday, March 17, 2013

Code for Every Step to Optimize Reimbursement For Pulmonary Angiography

"Radiology coders will need to have a clear understanding of the assorted steps concerned with angiography to diagnose a pulmonary embolism (PE) and subsequent intervention to revive blood flow. This may guarantee appropriate coding and proper reimbursement for this multistep procedure.

In lots of cases, sufferers are aged, beforehand have been hospitalized for different conditions or are experiencing acute signs including complete cardiopulmonary arrest. Interventional radiologists typically may be known as upon to perform the pulmonary angiography on an urgent basis. These circumstances may require them to customize the examination considerably, permitting them to answer uncommon or rising symptoms. In the course of the course of the process, the interventionalist additionally may provide extra ancillary providers equivalent to thrombolysis and/or IVC (inferior vena cava) filter placement.

In sufferers where PE is suspected, pulmonary angiography is carried out to substantiate or exclude the potential of an embolism. Prognosis codes that support pulmonary angiography include shortness of breath (786.05), painful respiration (786.fifty two), primary pulmonary hypertension (416.zero),  power cardiopulmonary illness (416.9) and cardiorespiratory arrest (427.5). If a PE has been confirmed, the suitable code is 415.19 (pulmonary embolism and infarction, different).

Coders should keep away from utilizing the ICD-9 code for the sufferers underlying medical or surgical situation except it is usually the reason for the pulmonary angiogram. For instance, should a affected person with current orthopedic surgical procedure or trauma need an angiogram to rule out PE, don't use the analysis code of the orthopedic procedure or of trauma to justify the angiogram.

Based on Lisa Grimes, RT (R), radiology special procedures technologist and reimbursement specialist for the University of Texas/Houston Health Science Middle, the procedure typically includes multiple steps, each of which may be billed. In most instances, these steps embrace catheter placement, angiography, transcatheter therapy, placement of filters to entrap clots and the appropriate supervision and interpretation codes.

Pulmonary Embolism Case Examine

Procedure: A 68-year-previous male, five days postoperative for whole hip replacement, complains of chest pain and severe shortness of breath. Within minutes, the patient loses consciousness and suffers cardiopulmonary arrest. The patient is resuscitated, placed on a ventilator and transferred to the catheterization lab.

The interventional radiologist then performs pulmonary angiography. The patients proper groin is prepped and the patient is draped. A 7-French sheath is positioned into the fitting femoral vein, and a pigtail catheter is advanced to the confluence of the iliac veins. A hand injection with fluoroscopic monitoring of the IVC is performed to rule out IVC clot. The catheter is advanced into the correct atrium. Using a information-wire, the catheter is positioned through the atrium, right ventricle and pulmonary outflow tract into the fitting pulmonary artery. Proper pulmonary artery pressures are obtained. Proper pulmonary angiography is performed using forty cc

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