DecisionHealth, DecisionHealth - 2018 Issue 4 (April)

OK to bill view of asymptomatic knee, but code and document properly

Question: A patient presents for an evaluation of unilateral knee pain and we do four standing X-ray views of the knee that capture the contralateral side. We have always billed this scenario as 73564 (Radiologic examination, knee; complete, 4 or more views) with RT or LT as appropriate. There has been some discussion lately that we should bill 73560 (Radiologic examination, knee; 1 or 2 views) for the contralateral views if they are interpreted on. However, I feel if the patient has no complaints on the contralateral side, the medical necessity wouldn't be there even if the X-rays reveal something such as osteoarthritis. Does anyone know of an official source that states whether the contralateral side can be billed or not in the absence of patient complaints?

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to the DecisionHealth Newsletters.

Official DecisionHealth® Newsletter Archives includes:

  • Includes over 25,000 articles from:
    • Coder Pink Sheets
    • Part B News
    • Answer Books newsletters
  • Current newsletters added each quarter
  • Timely news and guidance vital for your practice
  • Fully searchable through Find-A-Code's Comprehensive Search
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to the Find-A-Code Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles
  • Save yourself tons of research time, find everything in one place!
Access to this feature is available in the following products:
  • DecisionHealth Coding, Billing and Compliance Library

demo
request yours today
 subscribe
start today
 newsletter
free subscription

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