Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Practice Exam

CPC Practice Exam and Study Guide Package

Practice Exam

What makes a good CPC Practice Exam? Questions and Answers with Full Rationale

CPC Exam Review Video

Laureen shows you her proprietary “Bubbling and Highlighting Technique”

Download your Free copy of my "Medical Coding From Home Ebook" at the top right corner of this page

Practice Exam

2018 CPC Practice Exam Answer Key 150 Questions With Full Rationale (HCPCS, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10, CPT Codes) Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions with Full Rationale Answers

Practice Exam

Click here for more sample CPC practice exam questions and answers with full rationale

Coding for Recurrent Lymphoma

:confused: I work for a Hematology/Oncology practice. The patient was said to have Stage IV indolent low grade B-cell lymphoma with associated splenic and bone marrow involvement (due to progressive splenomegaly) and pancytopenia. The doctor marked it as an Extranodal marginal zone B-Cell lymphoma of MALT type and started him on Bendamustine + Rituximab and Peglilgrastim. The patient subequently underwent a splenectomy which pathology showed no evidence of lymphoproliferative disorder or evidence of malignancy. The patient now has a recurrence in the cervical nodes.

I have two questions: First, should this have originally been coded as a NHL (C83.80), MZLS (C83.07) or Extranodal Marginal zone B-Cell Lymphoma, MALT type (C88.4)?

Second, since lymphomas are systemic, hey can be billed as a secondary disease, how should this recurrence be coded for the cervical nodes? Marginal Zone Lymphoma HFN (C83.01) or as one of the code listed above?

Please help! Thank you.

Medical Billing and Coding Forum

CPT code for lymphoma workup needle core biopsy vs biopsy

Good Morning All!
A question was brought up by one of our pathologists concerning lymphoma workups for needle core biopsies vs biopsy – We have been upcoding lymph node biopsies for lymphoma work ups to an 88307 but for the needle core biopsies, we have been keeping them as an 88305. The pathologist looked through Paget’s and couldn’t find any reasoning as to why we should keep a needle core to a 305 – I have included the email for better clarity – Anyone have any thoughts on this?

"Do you recall the reasoning for that? From my reading, I believe we should code 88307 for lymphoma work-up any time flow is done on the same node and/or IHC (to evaluate for a lymphoma) is done – both of which were done on this specimen. I didn’t see anything in the coding services handbook that would indicate whether it is a core biopsy vs excisional biopsy would make any difference.

The extra work that must be documented will include
at least one of the following: touch preparation or frozen section to assess specimen adequacy
and determine what, if any, special studies are appropriate; H&E sections beyond the number
typically associated with a lymph node biopsy; flow cytometry immunophenotyping; molecular
pathology; and/or immunohistochemistry."

Medical Billing and Coding Forum