tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2008 Issue 8

Reader Questions: Check for Catheter Use on Thoracentesis Claims

Question: A patient with shortness of breath reports to the ED. The physician obtains pertinent historical information and performs an exam, including auscultation of the lungs, which sound muffled. He then taps on the patient's chest and notes a dull "thud." A chest x-ray confirms the presence of a large pleural effusion. Notes substantiate a level-four E/M. Based on the evaluation, the physician decides to perform thoracentesis. After the patient is prepped, the physician withdraws pleural fluid through a needle into a syringe and sends it to the laboratory for analysis. The lab results indicate the presence of...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert.


You have ED coding questions, and we deliver money-in-the-bank answers to help you defeat your claim issues and secure optimal reimbursement.

Stay in the know and avoid federal reproach with your subscription to TCI’s ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 1998 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert +Archives

demo
request yours today
 subscribe
start today
 newsletter
free subscription

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.