tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 1999 Issue 6

Reader Question: Placement of Bilateral Chest Tubes

Question: When treating a trauma patient with bilateral pneumotheraces (860.0), what is the most appropriate code for placement of chest tubes, both right and left?Bobbie Breaux, Office ManagerCharles W. Breaux, Jr., MDGrand Junction, COAnswer: The correct CPT code for this procedure is 32020 (tube thoracostomy with or without water seal [e.g., for abscess, hemothorax, empyema][separate procedure]), says Catherine A. Brink, CMM, CPC, president of Healthcare Resource Management Inc., a coding and reimbursement consulting firm in Spring Lake, NJ. In this case, because the procedure was performed bilaterally, it should be coded 32020-RT on the first line...

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