CPT® 2015: Squash 'Abridged Colonoscopy' Coding Debate

Why This Topic Matters

Incomplete colonoscopy reporting is a recurring coding issue, and this update signals how CPT 2015 organizes the decision process. It matters to coders who need to recognize when the procedure falls into a different code family and when modifier-related guidance is part of the discussion.

Article Sections

1. New decision tree and coding debate

   Introduces the issue of incomplete colonoscopy reporting and the CPT 2015 decision-tree approach. It frames the coding question and the broader guidance discussed in the article.

2. Choose sigmoidoscopy before splenic flexure

   Describes the scenario in which the procedure does not advance to the expected anatomic landmark and discusses the code family the article addresses for that situation. It also references the CPT decision-tree guidance and the AMA source.

3. To the cecum — don’t modify codes

   Covers the circumstance in which the scope reaches the cecum and notes the article’s discussion of a correction related to the CPT 2015 decision tree. It also mentions an errata publication.

4. In between — choose 52 or 53

   Addresses procedures that fall between the earlier scenarios and discusses the modifier-related branching described by the decision tree. It distinguishes the broad categories covered for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.