tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2005 Issue 4

Take the Hurt Out of Tonsillectomy Coding in Just 3 Steps

Postsurgery control of bleeding may call for its own code When reporting tonsillectomy, you must consider three main factors: the patient's age, whether the surgeon performed adenoidectomy, and whether the surgeon controlled post-tonsillar or postadenoidal bleeding during the 90-day global period of the original procedure. 1. Look for the Patient's Age When choosing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy codes, remember that 12 is the magic number. That's because CPT assigns different codes for patients younger than 12 years of age and those 12 years old or over, says M. Trayser Dunaway, MD, a general surgeon in Camden, S.C.For instance:...

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