Atherectomy

Effective October 1, 2011, new codes have been created to separately identify atherectomy procedures. Prior to this change, atherectomy was classified to the same codes as angioplasties (e.g., 39.50, 00.61, 00.62, and 00.66). An atherectomy is a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure to remove plaque from arteries. It is useful in cases where the plaque is very hard due to calcification, plaque has built up in a coronary artery bypass graft, or to remove other difficult blockages, thus opening up blocked coronary arteries and allowing blood to circulate unobstructed to the heart muscle. To treat...

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Note:  The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AHA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.

Article Overview

This article explains the general clinical concept of atherectomy and then focuses on coding changes that took effect in October 2011. It is aimed at coders and clinical documentation staff who need to understand how atherectomy is organized across different vessel locations, what related procedures are referenced alongside it, and how the article frames the reporting of associated vascular interventions. The content also places atherectomy in context with angioplasty and stent-related procedure groupings.

Why This Topic Matters

Atherectomy coding is tied to vessel location, related interventions, and code-set changes over time. Understanding the article helps readers quickly determine whether the premium content is relevant to vascular procedure coding and code assignment questions involving atherectomy.

Article Sections

  1. Overview of atherectomy

    Introduces atherectomy as a catheter-based vascular procedure and describes the general clinical situations in which it may be discussed.

  2. Mechanical atherectomy techniques

    Summarizes the main technique categories and general device approaches referenced in the article.

  3. ICD-9-CM atherectomy code updates and vessel-specific categories

    Presents the code-set changes and the major vessel-location groupings covered by the article, including extracranial, intracranial, coronary, and other noncoronary vessel categories.

  4. Coding questions and examples

    Addresses sample reporting scenarios involving atherectomy combined with other vascular procedures during the same operative episode.

What You Will Learn

  • How the article frames atherectomy as a vascular procedure
  • Which vessel-location categories are discussed in the coding update
  • What related procedure groupings are referenced alongside atherectomy
  • How the article approaches combined procedure reporting scenarios

Who Should Read This

  • Medical coders
  • Coding auditors
  • Clinical documentation staff
  • Revenue cycle professionals
  • Health information management professionals

Codes Discussed

  • ICD-9-CM: 39.50
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.61
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.62
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.66
  • ICD-9-CM: 17.53
  • ICD-9-CM: 17.54
  • ICD-9-CM: 17.55
  • ICD-9-CM: 17.56
  • ICD-9-CM: 99.10
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.45
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.46
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.47
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.48
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.40
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.41
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.42
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.43
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.63
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.64
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.44
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.01
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.02
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.11
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.12
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.31
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.32
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.41
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.42
  • ICD-9-CM: 36.06
  • ICD-9-CM: 36.07
  • ICD-9-CM: 36.04
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.49
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.55
  • ICD-9-CM: 39.90

Code Ranges Discussed

  • ICD-9-CM: 00.45-00.48
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.40-00.43
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.01-38.02
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.11-38.12
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.31-38.32
  • ICD-9-CM: 38.41-38.42
  • ICD-9-CM: 36.06-36.07
  • ICD-9-CM: 00.61-00.62

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