tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2006 Issue 9

You Be the Coder: What About Stones During Lap Chole?

Question: During a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (lap chole), the surgeon found a few stones in the patient's common duct that took an additional two hours to remove through the scope. I cannot find a separate code to report. Can I use an unlisted- procedure code?Washington, D.C., SubscriberAnswer: You are correct: There is no CPT code that describes removal of stones from the common duct during a lap chole (47564, Laparoscopy, surgical; chole-cystectomy with exploration of common duct). But an unlisted-procedure code isn't the best solution in this case. Solution: If a surgery requires significant additional time or...

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