Part B Coding Coach: Jumpstart Your General Surgery Coding for Next Year

Why This Topic Matters

Annual code updates can affect common general surgery reporting, workflow, and audit readiness. Understanding which sections of CPT are changing helps practices prepare ahead of the effective date and avoid disruption when the new year begins.

Article Sections

1. Update Intravascular Stent Coding

   Covers revisions within a vascular procedure code group and the addition of a related new code. The section frames the changes as part of the broader CPT 2015 update.

2. Engage New and Updated Digestive System Codes

   Summarizes broad digestive system endoscopy updates across multiple procedure areas. It discusses formatting and descriptor standardization, as well as additions and deletions within several endoscopy categories.

3. Standardize wording

   Describes general wording cleanup and uniform language changes affecting multiple endoscopy code families. The focus is on consistent terminology across related procedures.

4. Expand stent placement, lesion ablation options

   Highlights changes within a set of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy services involving expanded procedure options. It notes deletions and replacement codes as part of the 2015 update.

5. Change Category III codes

   Covers the transition from deleted Category III anoscopy services to new CPT codes. The section places those changes in the context of higher-resolution diagnostic and biopsy-related services.

6. Clip and Save for 2015 Reference

   Introduces a reference summary of the most significant general surgery coding changes for 2015. This serves as a closing overview for quick review.