AMA CPT® Assistant - 2019 Issue 4 (April)
Revised, New, and Deleted Codes (April 2019)
April 2019 pages 4-5 Reporting Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Procedures Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy codes 10021 and 10022 were identified as potentially misvalued by the American Medical Association (AMA)/Specialty Society Relative Value Scale (RVS) Update Committee (RUC). It was determined that code 10022 was reported with imaging guidance more than 75% of the time; therefore, imaging guidance should be bundled into the service. In addition, it was determined that physicians were reporting codes 10021 and 10022 for each pass of a needle rather than once per lesion as intended. Stakeholder specialties proposed extensive guideline and coding changes, which...
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Article Overview
This article reviews CPT changes for fine needle aspiration biopsy reporting that took effect in April 2019. It is aimed at coders, billers, and clinicians who need to understand the scope of the updated CPT subsection, associated guidance, and related references to imaging-guided and non-image-guided biopsy services. The discussion focuses on how the revised CPT structure, add-on reporting framework, and related notes fit into the broader 2019 code update.
Why This Topic Matters
Understanding these CPT updates helps readers identify the relevant article before consulting the full premium text, especially when working with biopsy documentation, imaging-guided procedures, and related reporting guidance. It also supports accurate indexing of the medical code sets and identifiers discussed in the article.
Article Sections
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April 2019 pages 4-5
Introduces the reporting update and provides the context for the code changes discussed in the article.
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Reporting Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy Procedures
Summarizes the background for the CPT changes and the reason the fine needle aspiration biopsy subsection was updated. It also identifies the broader guidance topics addressed in the article.
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Revised, New, and Deleted Codes
Describes the scope of the CPT subsection changes and the associated reporting guidance, including references to related notes and procedure categories.
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Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Biopsy
Presents the updated CPT entries and related parenthetical notes, along with broader references to associated imaging and pathology evaluation codes.
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Coding Tip
Highlights a brief reporting reminder tied to the updated FNA biopsy guidance.
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New FNA-biopsy guidelines include the following definitions and instructions
Lists the major categories of guidance added with the CPT update, including definitions, reporting structure, and topics affecting multiple procedures and imaging methods.
What You Will Learn
- The general purpose of the April 2019 CPT fine needle aspiration biopsy update
- Which sections of CPT were revised to address FNA biopsy reporting
- What broad types of supporting guidance were added with the code changes
- How the article organizes related references to imaging and pathology evaluation
- The kinds of reporting scenarios the updated guidance addresses at a high level
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing professionals
- Physician practices
- Pathology and radiology coding staff
- Compliance teams
- Clinical documentation staff
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Modifiers Discussed
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