AMA CPT® Assistant - 2002 Issue 1 (January)

Respiratory System (January 2002)

January 2002 page 10c Coding Consultation Respiratory System, Surgery, 31622, 31624 (Q&A) Question My physician performed a flexible bronchoscopy with bilateral bronchial alveolar lavage (code 31624). Should modifier -50, Bilateral procedure, be appended to code 31624, or is 31624 an inherently bilateral procedure code? AMA Comment From a coding perspective, the series of codes 31623-31656 describe unilateral procedures. To indicate that a procedure from this series was performed bilaterally, modifier -50, Bilateral procedure, should be appended to the appropriate code. Therefore, modifier -50 should be appended to code 31624 when bronchial alveolar lavage is performed bilaterally. Please note...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to the AMA CPT® Assistant.


Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • AMA's CPT® Assistant - Current + Archives
  • AMA's CPT® Advanced Coding Pack
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.

demo
request yours today
subscribe
start today
newsletter
free subscription

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.