Medical Coding

“Can you describe what is a “sufficiently detailed exam” to confirm the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease? I was audited and the debridement of calluses were denied even documentation of every single class finding were listed. Are we supposed to do ankle brachial indexes, Buerger’s test, etc.? Why have class findings if they do not qualify as “sufficiently detailed?”

“I billed A5500 and A5512 with modifiers -KX, -RT, -LT. L1940 KXRTLT L2330 KXRTLT L2820 KXRTLT I billed these on separate lines. This claim was rejected so we re-billed putting the KX modifier in the 3rd spot and it was still rejected for the same reason. The comment was: 4 – the procedure code is inconsistent with the modifier used or a required modifier is missing Any thoughts on how to tackle this denial?”

If our provider does multiple Tenotomy procedures on one visit on different toes what are the appropriate procedure codes and modifiers to bill correctly? We have been billing 28010 with the "T" modifier and no other modifiers per the provider's request. I feel like we should be adding a "51" modifier on all lines except the first. I would love assistance with this.

In order to bill 28292, 28295, 28296, 28297, 28298, 28299, the medial aspect of the head of the 1st metatarsal MUST be excised/removed in addition to any additional procedures that are performed to correct the hallux valgus deformity to justify and support the CPT code that is billed.

“I order liver enzymes prior to prescribing an oral antifungal. The blood work is a part of the risk and complications to determine the level of E/M. Can I also include the prescribing of the oral antifungal as part of risk and complications since it is waiting for the lab results?”

“I saw a patient at the wound care clinic, and he presented with an abscess that required urgent incision and drainage. I sent him directly to the emergency room for admission, work-up for sepsis and later that evening performed an incision of the 3rd intermetatarsal space, bone biopsy of the third metatarsal and application of a wound vac. I followed him while he was admitted. I am not sure how to code the initial visit in the wound care clinic. I am not sure about modifiers for the “decision for surgery.” Can I bill for the subsequent daily rounding and changes of the VAC while he was admitted? Could you please advise the proper billing?”

“If a Medicare patient is seen in the emergency department and then surgery is performed later that day or night, can the emergency department consult be billed with a modifier -57 along with the surgery? We have been under the impression that, at least in the office, the visit to decide to do the surgery is included in the surgical fee. Are we correct and does this apply to the encounter in the emergency department too?”

“I have been getting insurance denials for subsequent billing of CPT code 11042 after one has been previously performed. Regardless of what level of tissue is debrided, my biller is saying I can only bill CPT code 11042 every 60 days. The biller is telling me that if I debride any level of tissue within those 60 days, I should bill CPT code 97597 until 60 days have passed. Then after 60 days, I can bill CPT code 11042. This does not seem appropriate. Should we appeal?”

“We have had an influx of phone calls that are burdening our clinical hours. We have been flooded with questions that pertain to patient care, clarification of orders and home care instructions. Is there a way to bill for these calls? Each call can take 20-45 minutes for our medical assistants to complete. And we are trying to manage a full clinic at the same time.”

Can I bill for using intraoperative fluoroscopy (C-arm) to assist in hardware placement before, during and after the procedure? The images are all taken while in the operating room. If so, do I need a modifier for the code? Can I use the same CPT for the surgery with the code for the intraoperative x-ray or does it require a different CPT code? Thank you!