Medical Coding Review on Separate Procedure and Examples https://www.cco.us/club/
Laureen: Yes, nice segue. The last slide and my next slide is on separate procedures.
Q: Could you review “separate procedure” and give some examples?
A: Yes. I can.“Separate procedure” is a convention used in CPT basically to tell us that, “Hey! This procedure is normally included in other bigger procedures, so just be careful if you’re going to be reporting me” so just kind of view it as a heads up. Oftentimes, it has its own code because it can be done by itself; but because it’s commonly done with other larger procedures like part of the approach, it’s bundled in so they give you that separate procedure phrase at the end of the CPT description to let you know that.
You might have a special circumstance where that would allow you to report it separately, that’s okay, but again it’s just kind of beware type thing, “Danger Will Robinson!” really dating myself. We should do a poll to see how many people remember references to those shows. I had to change teaching, I used to teach and say, “The Quincy codes,” now I have to say “the CSI codes” because my class looked at me, like, “Quincy? What are you talking about?”
If that is the only code that you’re getting ready to put on your claim form, chances are it’s safe to use it. There’s not a bundling issue because there’s no other codes. But if you have another procedure on the claim, you really want to make sure that it’s not part of it and the best way to do that is to do a CCI check using your software or going to the CMS website and using it.
A good example, they asked for an example, this is what I use often when I’m teaching is from my own experience, I had my left ovary removed. I had to go in for an emergency surgery and they did an oophorectomy (58940)…
By the way, do you guys love to impress your doctors when they’re asking your history and you don’t say, “I had my ovary removed,” you say, “I had an oophorectomy.” They’re like, “Oh! Are you a nurse?” “No, I’m a coder.”
Read more here:
https://www.cco.us/separate-procedures-cpt-medical-coding-video/
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