tci Part B Insider - 2005 Issue 2

New Codes: CMS Gives An Extra 50 CM To Gastric Bypass Surgeons

The addition means fewer denials for procedures Not only did CPT Codes 2005 include two new codes for laparoscopic gastric restrictive procedures (43644-43645), it also resolved a problem that had long bedeviled bariatric surgeons. In the past, the descriptors for open gastric bypass codes 43842-43848 specified that the "limb" in a roux-en-y procedure must be 100 cm or less, notes Susan Hvizdash physician education specialist for the department of surgery at UPMC Presbyterian-Shadyside in Pittsburgh. Some surgeons like to remove more of the intestine, resulting in a longer "limb," up to 150 or 160 cm, she explains. "We...

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