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Biven-ICD gen change help

Can someone give thoughts on coding for this. There is a dispute as to what would be accurate.

33264, 33272×2, 33273, 33271×2?

Thank you!

The rest of the procedure is monitored anesthesia care for 56 minutes.

PROCEDURES:
1. Fluoroscopy of chronic indwelling pacer leads.
2. Explantation of a depleted Medtronic pulse generator.
3. Chronic lead testing.
4. Insertion of a new Medtronic BiV-ICD pulse generator. The device
is a Medtronic. The model number is a Medtronic Viva, model number
DTBA1D1, the serial number BLF600677S.

CLINICAL DATA:
Mr. T is a 76-year-old male with an ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy,
recurrent heart failure, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia whose
device has been followed in Surveillance Clinic, is now ERI.

DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE:
After informed consent, the patient was brought to the EP operating suite.
He received a 1 g of vancomycin. The left anterior hemithorax was
sterilely prepped and draped in the usual manner infiltrated with 2%
lidocaine. The patient had multiple doses of Versed and fentanyl supervised
by myself. A #15 blade was used to create an infraclavicular incision.
Sharp and blunt dissection used to carefully isolate the old generator.
Lead inspection both fluoroscopically and visually revealed no abnormalities.
The patient was device dependent. We removed the coronary sinus lead
first. This was kind of a high threshold and we began temporary pacing
through the external testing device while we removed the other leads.
RV lead was checked, although, we could not measure R-waves. This
was placed in the correct position in the header and secured with the
supplied torque wrench. We subsequently moved the high-voltage leads
in the right atrial lead. The right atrial lead had pulled back and
was dangling in the right atrium. However, this patient has chronic
atrial fibrillation and no attempts were made to remove this chronic
displaced lead. After adequate VVI pacing was assured through the right
ventricular pace sense high-voltage lead, we then placed the coronary
sinus lead in its correct position. The header as noted above, the
current configuration had a high threshold. We checked multiple configurations
and we changed the polarity from tipped coil and we were able to get
slightly higher resistance and lower threshold. We irrigated the pocket
with copious amounts of GU irrigant solution. The patient had been
on the anticoagulants, which had been held. Eliquis had been held since
Friday. We used Bovie cautery for hemostasis. We irrigated the pocket,
copious amounts of GU irrigant solution. At this point time, the device
was delivered into the pocket in the same attitude that had been removed,
coiling the leads underneath the device. The subcutaneous tissue was
closed in 2 layers with 2-0 Vicryl. Skin was closed with 2-0 silk using
vertical mattress suture. The right ventricular lead is a Medtronics
model #6. The right ventricular pace-sense high-voltage lead is a Medtronic
model number #69355, serial number TAU06531. The left ventricular
pace-sense lead is a Medtronic model #41948. The serial number is
LFG102448. The settings were not changed. The only change in programming
was made to the coronary sinus lead. The device was left at a VVI pacing
at the lower rate of 60. Tachytherapies were not changed as the patient
appeared to tolerate the procedure well without any obvious complications.

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Post Hospital DC Status Change

We are having a lot of pt’s that are in the hospital less than one over night or maybe they stayed 2 nights but insurance is denying in patient stay but will approve obs or out patient status. Our clinic docs see pt’s in our hospital and I do the billing for the provider’s charges only. I usually get the notice of status change after DC and sometimes after I’ve billed the hospital charges as in patient. Is it appropriate and legal to correct or change the coding from in patient to out patient codes after discharge? What exactly do I have to have from our Dr? I would appreciate any information anyone. Thank You!

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Adding new LV lead with pacemaker generator change, old LV lead not removed

Need help please. Our provider changed biventricular pacemaker due to depletion of the battery and noticed that LV lead was not working and inserted new one. it was not removed but new one added. I coded the scenario as 33229 and 33224 but 33229 is not allowed with 33224. Should I use 33225 instead?
thank so much for help.

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Advocacy to Change 31241’s Pay to Outpatient

Advocates are seeking to convince the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to pay for outpatient care of patients receiving 31241 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ligation of sphenopalatine artery. The new code for 2018 was assigned a fee status of “inpatient only”. This is inconsistent with the current state of practice. Even though the complexity of […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

Advocacy to Change 31241’s Pay to Outpatient

Advocates are seeking to convince the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to pay for outpatient care of patients receiving 31241 Nasal/sinus endoscopy, surgical; with ligation of sphenopalatine artery. The new code for 2018 was assigned a fee status of “inpatient only”. This is inconsistent with the current state of practice. Even though the complexity of […]
AAPC Knowledge Center

ICD Gen Change Code Check

Just looking for a code check…I have 33263 and 93641-26 w/Z45.02, I47.2 and I42.1 . Thoughts please and thank you!

PROCEDURE:
AICD generator change.

INDICATIONS:
Generator is at ERI. The patient with history of hypertrophic obstructive
cardiomyopathy, ventricular tachycardia and cardiomyopathy, ejection
fraction less than 30%.

The risks and benefits of pacer/ICD generator change were discussed with
the patient and his wife. They are agreeable to the procedure. Consent
was obtained.

Time-out was performed. The patient, physician, and procedure to be
performed were identified.

The patient was sedated by the Anesthesia Department.

The patient was prepped and draped in the normal fashion. 1% lidocaine
was generously infiltrated into the old pacer pocket incision site.
A linear incision 3 to 4 cm was made directly over the previous scar.
Bovie cauterization and blunt dissection were carried down to the capsule.
The capsule was entered and the pacemaker generator was externalized.
There was difficulty in externalizing the generator due to extensive
scar formation and scarring of the pacer pocket. The leads were removed
and attached to the new pacemaker generator. The pacer was internalized
and secured to the pectoralis muscle. Before insertion of the new generator,
the pocket was irrigated with antibiotic solution copiously. The pocket
was closed with 2 layers of Vicryl 2-0. The subcuticular layer was
closed with 4-0 Monocryl.

The pacemaker generator is a Boston Scientific Dynagen mini ICD IS-1/DF-1
DR, model #D023, serial #250298.

The right atrial lead was implanted 07/16/2009, model #4469, serial #514341.

The right ventricular lead was implanted 07/16/2009. Model #178392.
The right atrial threshold is 4.1 mV, impedance is 374 ohms, 1.2 V
at 0.4 milliseconds.

The right ventricular lead intrinsic is 10.3, impedance is 552, threshold
is 1.9 V at 1.0 milliseconds.

The mode is DDD. ICD VF zone 220, duration 1 second. VT rate 180, duration
2.5 seconds.

The patient awoke from anesthesia without apparent neurologic deficits.
He was transferred to the recovery area in stable condition. Chest
x-ray will be obtained.

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Help! When is this ok to change a DX after a denial?

Hello,

I am a coder for a lab. We really don’t do the coding here, its all sent to us from the provider and we code what they tell us to code. So i feel like I am losing a lot of my knowledge, and I am now second guessing myself. Please help.

-if insurance denies for a DX issue, i will call and see if they have anymore codes to add and resubmit. If none i have to take adjustment.

-Occasionally i will get a claim that will deny bc there are screening codes along with a DX code and they will not process with both, so I have been told to remove the Z codes and resubmit, is this ok to do?

-I work for a lab that does specialized testing, and I will get an order from the provider and they will list 10 plus codes with DX that do not relate to the testing done. Do I have to list all possible codes they have provided? Like acne, when we are doing testing for non related things?

Sorry. I just want to make sure this is all done correctly!

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Pcmk change out with “serial dilation veoplasty to the left subclavian vein”

EP physician- changing out a pt’s pcmk & adding a biv lead.
He dictated this:
Pre-op diagnosis: ischemic cardiomyopathy, EF37-44 %, 2nd AV block, subclavian stenosis
Procedure:

#1 left subclavian venography demonstration in the presence of tight 90% stenosis of the left subclavian vein
#2 serial dilation venoplasty to the left subclavian vein
#3 coronary sinus catheterization and angiography
#4 Balloon PTA to the posterolateral branch of the coronary sinus

He wrote the code 35476 which is deleted. I am questioning if he can bill for any of the above? He used theses techniques to get to & add the leads.

Thanks,

EP

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

Change in pathology billing rules

For those with in-house path labs, we just got an important update from DermCoder (www.dermcoder.com).

Medicare now expects you to use the biopsy date as the DOS of the technical component and the read date as the DOS of the professional component. This means that unless your pathologist reads the slides the same day as the biopsy, you will have to start splitting your path claims into separate technical and professional components, with different dates of service for each. (You’ll get paid the same as if you billed the global code.)

Medical Billing and Coding Forum