tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2007 Issue 11

You Be the Coder: Are 2nd- and 3rd-Order Caths Separate?

Question: My surgeon performed a catheterization of the right vertebral (third order) and left vertebral (second order) from femoral access. How should I report this? South Carolina SubscriberAnswer: You should report both catheterizations because these are different vascular families. The two codes you-ll use are 36217 (Selective catheter placement, arterial system; initial third-order or more selective thoracic or brachiocephalic branch, within a vascular family) for the right vertebral and 36216 (- initial second-order thoracic or brachiocephalic branch, within a vascular family) for the left vertebral. Modifier round-up: A few years ago, Medicare changed the bilateral procedure status of codes...

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