December 2017 page 14a
Surgery: Digestive System
Question: What is the appropriate code to report a laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy with repair of colovesical fistula?
Answer: It is appropriate to report code 44204, Laparoscopy, surgical; colectomy, partial, with anastomosis, for this procedure. The closure of the fistula during the same session would be reported separately with code 51999, Unlisted laparoscopic procedure, bladder. When reporting an unlisted code to describe a procedure or service, it is necessary to submit supporting documentation (eg, procedure report) along with the claim to provide an adequate description of the nature, extent, and need for the...
Note: The following article synopsis was NOT provided by the AMA. It was created by Find-A-Code/innoviHealth.
Article Overview
This premium Q&A article from CPT Assistant addresses a digestive system surgery coding scenario involving a laparoscopic colorectal operation and related fistula repair. It is aimed at coding professionals who need to understand the article’s scope, the relevant CPT code set, and the type of supporting documentation discussed for unlisted procedure reporting. The article is concise and focused on a single coding question and answer.
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Articles like this help coders quickly determine whether a specific surgical scenario is addressed in CPT Assistant and whether the guidance may apply to their own claim reporting workflow.
Article Sections
December 2017 page 14a
A short Q&A section covering a digestive system surgery coding scenario and related reporting considerations.
What You Will Learn
The article’s focus within digestive system surgery coding
That the content is organized as a question-and-answer format
That the discussion includes reporting of a related unlisted procedure and supporting documentation considerations
How the article frames a laparoscopic colorectal surgery scenario for CPT users
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