tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2004 Issue 12

Reader Question: Choose 20950 for Interstitial Pressure

Question: I was unable to locate a CPT procedure code for checking compartment syndrome pressure. Does one exist?Texas SubscriberAnswer: Your best code choice for this procedure is 20950 (Monitoring of interstitial fluid pressure [includes insertion of device, e.g., wick catheter technique, needle manometer technique] in detection of muscle compartment syndrome). According to CPT, this code describes the following service:"The physician inserts an interstitial fluid pressure monitoring device into a muscle compartment using a wick catheter, needle, or other method. The physician checks the monitoring device for escalation of pressure, which indicates developing compartment syndrome and tissue ischemia...

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