tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2001 Issue 10

Reader Question: Bilateral Ligation of Temporal Artery

Question: My surgeon frequently performs bilateral ligations or biopsies of the temporal artery. Although 37609 does not indicate multiple arteries, according to the CMS fee schedule it cannot be billed bilaterally. How should I code this to get reimbursed for both sides? Indiana Subscriber  Answer: Temporal artery ligations are typically performed with biopsy. Such biopsies are usually performed when the patient has pain in the temple or blindness in an eye and, therefore, most surgeons perform them on one side (the symptomatic, or ipsilateral side) only.  If the surgeons documentation shows the medical necessity for performing the...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci General Surgery Coding Alert.

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