tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2003 Issue 10

Reader Question: Bill Bronchoscopy With Thoracotomy

Question: Can I bill bronchoscopy with thoracotomy? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: A surgeon may perform (and separately bill for) bronchoscopy (31622, Bronchoscopy [rigid or flexible]; diagnostic, with or without cell washing [separate procedure]) for diagnostic purposes and recommend thoracic surgery when the scope identifies a problem. Chapter six of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) clearly states, "If an endoscopy is performed for purposes of an initial diagnosis on the same day as the open procedure, the endoscopy is separately reported" [emphasis added]. In other words, if the scope uncovers the problem that leads to the decision for surgery...

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


Leverage vital, to-the-point monthly guidance to boost your reporting accuracy and your coding know-how. We make it convenient for your team to stay informed, compliant, and profitable with a subscription to TCI’s General Surgery Coding Alert.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 2100 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 1999 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • tci General Surgery Coding Alert +Archives

demo
request yours today
subscribe
start today
newsletter
free subscription

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