Three Steps to Code 77402-77416

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by: jamesarticle
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Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 Time: 2:28 AM
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If you do not recognize the importance of energy levels or same-day sessions, your independent facility’s radiation treatment delivery claims could be in for trouble. However if you follow these three steps, you will be on your way to coding 77402-77416 with confidence.

You can sort these codes by complexity

Based on complexity, CPT breaks ‘Radiation Treatment Delivery’ codes 77402-77416 into different families. (remember that the CPT manual doesn’t refer to the codes as simple, intermediate and complex.)

Thinking that the documentation supports medical necessity, you require to meet only one of the requirements listed in a definition to select that level of complexity. To put it simply, if the patient has custom blocking (complex) and three ports on a single treatment area (intermediate), you may use a complex code.

Check energy level impact

Once you have figured out the complexity level, you can make your code selection based on energy level. For external beam treatment, excluding intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), you may see 77413 and 77414 often. In many practices, the radiation therapist assigns the treatment code by putting in the system like IMPAC or ARIA and the coder confirms the code is spot on.

Comply with ‘different session’ rule

Even though you shouldn’t report multiple codes for multiple treatment areas at a single session, some type of cancer may call for two or more radiation treatments each day. You may use 77402-77416 more than once per date of service only when the patient gets radiation treatment during completely different sessions.

For more detailed information on ways to take your radiation treatment coding to the next level, sign up for a one-stop medical coding website. Such a site will act as a free online CPT manual for you.

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We provide you simple, instant connection to official code descriptors & guidelines and other tools for 2010 CPT code, HCPCS lookup that help coders and billers to excel in the work they do every day.

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