tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2024 Issue Q2

You Be the Coder: Is This an Intubation?

Question: A patient is brought to the ED with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with acute exacerbation. The ED physician inserts a laryngoscope equipped with a small camera and light into the patient’s mouth and throat, allowing them to visualize the larynx and the surrounding structures on a video monitor. Is this considered an intubation? AAPC Forum Subscriber Answer: Yes. The technique you described is a video laryngoscopy, which is considered an intubation and can thus be coded with 31500 (Intubation, endotracheal, emergency procedure) with J44.1 (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with (acute) exacerbation) appended to represent the...

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