AMA CPT® Assistant - 2013 Issue 10 (October)

Surgery: Digestive System (Q&A) (October 2013)

October 2013 page 18b Surgery: Digestive System Question: A laparoscopic cholecystectomy with extensive lysis of intra-abdominal adhesions was performed. The surgeon documented the following: "Marked adhesions intra-abdominally" and "Abdominal adhesions were slowly and carefully taken down. This took approximately one hour to clear all adhesions." In addition to the code for the laparoscopic cholecystectomy, we reported code 49329 for lysis of the adhesions. What would be the appropriate code to report? Answer: Extensive adhesions that significantly complicate the performance of the primary procedure may be reported by appending Modifier 22, Increased Procedural Services, to the definitive procedure code...

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CPT® Assistant content is the official source for CPT® coding guidance. It is an instrumental tool when appealing insurance denials and validating coding to auditors. Monthly issues and an extensive archive provide comprehensive guidance on proper CPT® coding for past, present and upcoming code set releases. Archives date back to 1990 for historical use of codes, changes, rationales, coding tips and trends in the industry.

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