tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2001 Issue 11

Reader Question: Aspiration Becomes Drainage

Question: A patient presented to the ED with a peritonsillar abscess (PTA) and underwent a needle aspiration to confirm the presence of pus in the tissues. During this procedure, the physician determined that the abscess could be drained completely with the needle aspiration. He subsequently used an 18-gauge spinal needle and aspirated the pus with a 10-cc syringe. When attempting to bill for this, I noticed that the only codes addressing a PTA involve "incision and drainage." What code is best used to bill an aspiration without an incision? California Subscriber  Answer: Code 42700 (incision and drainage...

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