Coder’s Anatomy: Cardiac Cath & Congenital Abnormalities

Posted on 13. Feb, 2009 by Editor in Coder's Cranium

Time Saver: Before you start assigning cardiac catherization codes, make sure you scan a note first for the presence of congenital abnormalities, suggests IVR reimbursement expert Dr. David Zielske.

Why: A congenital abnormality, like a bovine arch, makes a difference in how many ‘turns’ an interventional radiologist makes during a procedure, and therefore affects your choice of non-selective, first order, second order, and third order vascular family codes, Dr. Z explains. If you assume ‘normal’ anatomy, you may have to start over after choosing 10-20 codes. Yikes.

Tip: Train your docs to mention any congenital abnormalities at the beginning of the note.

More cardiac cath reimbursement tips from Dr. Z.

Tags: bovine arch, cardiac cath, cardiac catherization, congenital abnormality, interventional radiology, IVR, non-selective, selective, vascular family