Mark your guidelines now as 93268-93272 call for attended surveillance

In addition, 93923 replaces 93922 in a key parenthetical note, and your index requires an update too.


If you have been thinking why your CPT manual's atherectomy index entry does not point out your percutaneous choices, you have got a good eye.


The answer is quite simple. Everyone is prone to making mistakes. The AMA noted this problem and has published that and various other corrections to its CPT 2011 manual.


Checking the AMA errata for such corrections is vital. Make it a point to mark the following three in your manual or you will risk reporting the wrong code:


Do not let 93268-93272 typo lead to noncompliance


In your manual, CPT guidelines Cardiovascular Monitoring Services all just before 93224-93278. The first paragraph of the guidelines state, "Event monitors (93268-93272) … don't require attended surveillance."


Correction: The AMA's published errata indicates you should delete the words "do not" from the guidelines. Event monitor codes 93268-93272 certainly require attended surveillance.


Watch change to 93923 upper + lower rule


Along with rectifying several minor typos in the updated 93922-93923 ( bilateral noninvasive physiologic studies of upper or lower extremity arteries …) definitions and guidelines, the AMA makes one correction you want to be sure you catch.


According to the second parenthetical note under 93923 (complete study): "Report 93923 only once in the upper extremity(s) and/or once in the lower extremity(s). When both the upper and lower extremities are evaluated in the same setting, 93922 may be reported twice appending modifier 59 to the second procedure."


Correction: Rather than 93922, the last sentence should refer to 93923. The American Medical Association also adds the word "by" before "adding." The corrected text reads: When both the upper and lower extremities are assessed in the same setting, 93923 may be reported twice by adding modifier 59 to the second procedure."


Stay away from Index confusion for these revascularization codes


With all of the changes to revascularization coding, you do not require index mistakes adding to the puzzle.


Correction: Apart from deleting the last three entries (which simply repeat the first three under "Open"), the AMA replaces 'open' with 'open or Percutaneous'. This change is the important correction as it lets you know that the codes are proper whether the procedure is open or percutaneous.


The Smart way: Check the corrections throughout the year, more so for services that may see changes, such as immunizations. For further details on this, stay tuned to a one-stop medical coding guide like Supercoder.