tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2015 Issue 2

Reader Question: Bleeding Drives Gastric Varices Code Choice

Question: How should I report a surgeon’s treatment of gastric or esophageal varices? SuperCoder Subscriber Answer: The code selection depends on how the surgeon treats the varices, which are enlarged blood vessels. Surgeons typically perform the work using one of two methods: endoscopic sclerotherapy and band ligation. In the first step of endoscopic sclerotherapy, the surgeon passes a needle through an endoscope into the esophagus or stomach and injects the varices with a sclerosing agent that causes them to clot and stop bleeding. With band ligation, the physician uses an endoscope with a ligator attached to wrap bands...

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