April 2012 page 19
Coding Clarification: Piriformis Muscle Injection Reporting
In the December 2011 issue of the CPT Assistant (page 8), instruction in the article stated that sciatic nerve injection code 64445, Injection, anesthetic agent; sciatic nerve, single, should not be used to report a piriformis muscle injection. However, from a CPT coding perspective, piriformis muscle injection(s) should be reported using CPT code 20552, Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), 1 or 2 muscle(s). For further clarification, should fluoroscopic guidance be performed, this is additionally reported using code 77002, Fluoroscopic guidance for needle placement (eg, biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization...
Note: The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.
Article Overview
This article explains a CPT coding clarification published by CPT Assistant in April 2012. It is aimed at coders and billing staff who need to understand how the article discusses piriformis muscle injection reporting and the related use of fluoroscopic guidance. The piece is relevant for professionals working with procedure reporting and clarification updates from the AMA/CPT Assistant publication.
Why This Topic Matters
Coding teams use clarification articles to align reporting practices with current CPT guidance and to avoid inconsistent claim submission for procedure services.
Discusses a CPT Assistant clarification about reporting piriformis muscle injection services and the role of imaging guidance. The section focuses on the article’s coding topic and related reference context.
What You Will Learn
The general CPT reporting topic addressed by the clarification
How the article frames piriformis muscle injection reporting
What related imaging guidance subject matter is included in the discussion
The publication context and date of the clarification
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