January 2012 page 13b
Medicine: Noninvasive Vascular Diagnostic Studies
Question: For facility reporting, may code 93970 be reported once when performed for the upper extremities and once for the lower extremities with Modifier 59 appended?
Answer: It is appropriate to report CPT code 93970, Duplex scan of extremity veins including responses to compression and other maneuvers; complete bilateral study, once for the upper extremity veins and once for the lower extremity veins when bilateral studies of both upper and lower extremities are performed. This code is intended to identify either the upper or the lower extremities, and Modifier 59...
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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 coding question from CPT Assistant about facility reporting for noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies. It focuses on extremity venous duplex scanning, when separate reporting is discussed for upper and lower extremity studies, and the related use of a modifier in that context. The piece is aimed at coding professionals who need to understand the scope of the question and the coding concepts addressed in the guidance.
Why This Topic Matters
Noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies are commonly reported in radiology and vascular medicine settings, and small differences in exam scope and reporting structure can affect claim submission accuracy. This article helps coders and billing staff understand the type of guidance available in a CPT Assistant Q&A format.
Article Sections
January 2012 page 13b
Editorial placement information for the Q&A item in the January 2012 issue.
What You Will Learn
The article’s focus within noninvasive vascular diagnostic studies
How the Q&A addresses facility reporting questions
The coding and modifier topics discussed for extremity venous duplex studies
The context in which separate anatomic regions are discussed for reporting purposes
Who Should Read This
Medical coders
Coding auditors
Revenue cycle staff
Facility billing staff
Radiology coding professionals
Vascular laboratory staff
Codes Discussed
CPT: 93970
CPT: 93971
CPT: 59
Modifiers Discussed
CPT: 59
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