tci Part B Insider - 2003 Issue 27

CODING: Using 44139 Can Add $1,000 to Partial Colectomy Reimbursement

But only if you can decipher the operative report Surgeons who detach the colon from the splenic flexure, the junction nearest the spleen, are entitled to bill for a separate procedure, but many coders miss out on it because they get bogged down in colon surgery jargon. The Common Procedural Terminology book specifically advises coders to bill +44139 (Mobilization [take-down] of splenic flexure performed in conjunction with partial colectomy) along with partial colectomy codes 44140-44147. Medicare reimburses roughly $1,000 extra for 44139 because of the complexity and difficulty of eliminating the splenic flexure, says M. Trayser Dunaway, a...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci Part B Insider.


Keep pace with evolving Medicare regulations with timely analysis of critical updates interpreted in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-apply format. Your subscription to TCI’s Part B Insider will equip you to navigate code and guideline changes, CCI edits, and revisions to modifiers, the fee schedule, OIG target areas, and more.

  • Current newsletters added each month
  • Fully searchable archives - over 4800 articles
  • ALL years/issues back to 2003 organized by year and issue
  • Codes mentioned in articles are linked to Code Information pages
  • Code Information pages link back to related articles

This feature is currently unavailable for online purchase. For more information, please call 801-770-4203 or Contact Us.

demo
request yours today
 subscribe
start today
 newsletter
free subscription

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