You won’t face the same nail-biting payment woes in 2011 as you did this year, thanks to a Senate Finance Committee bill that will freeze Medicare pay at current levels for another 12 months. The House of Representatives passed the Medicare and M…
Question: I’m receiving contradictory guidance on which modifier to use when a gastroenterologist does an incomplete colonoscopy. Should I use modifier 52 or 53?
Answer: CPT 2011 ends the days of arguing over whether to use modifier 52 or 53 for …
Get ready to change your flu vaccine product code 90658 to one of four Q codes.
For 2010, report 90658 (Influenza virus vaccine, split virus, when administered to individuals 3 years of age and older, for intramuscular use) to signify that your physici…
Medicare beneficiaries will be thrilled that Medicare will cover annual well checks.
The Center for Medicare introduces a new benefit of wellness visits for beneficiaries annually, except during the year of their Welcome to Medicare exam. You’ll use …
Question: If a nurse has to check vitals to make sure an allergy injection is the correct quantity or if she has to educate the patient about the administration or side effects of the injections, we’ve been billing 99211 with 95115 or 95117. There is…
These terms nail down your diabetic retinopathy imaging code choice.
In CPT® 2011 in the place of your old familiar SCODI code, you’ll find three area specific codes. Check out these tips on finding the correct code for imaging as well as DR services.
Code 92135 is being split into three more specific codes. The scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging or SCODI code got used a lot in 2010 and was a high volume code. CPT 2011 deletes the code. Pick the new code based on the particular area the imaging is performed on as follows:
| Area | CPT 2011 Code | Descriptor |
| Front of the eye | 92132 | Scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging, anterior segment, with interpretation and report, unilateral or bilateral |
| Optic nerve | 92133 | Scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging, posterior segment, with interpretation and report, unilateral or bilateral; optic nerve |
| Retina | 92134 | Scanning computerized ophthalmic diagnostic imaging, posterior segment, with interpretation and report, unilateral or bilateral; retina |
92227 Vs. 92228: Look at DR Status
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness. Yet early detection makes the condition correctable 95 percent of the time. Imaging retina center technicians can easily look at a photo and read it. The ophthalmologist can then determine if the patient has DR, the stage it’s in, and the proper course of treatment.
Equate the term “Detection” that’s in new diabetic retinopathy imaging code 92227 (Remote imaging for detection of retinal diseases [e.g., retinopathy in a patient with diabetes] with analysis and report under physician supervision, unilateral or bilateral]) with “screening” for diabetic retinopathy. “Use this…