Coding Corner Question

A 68-year-old established male patient with osteoarthritis of the lumbar region returns to the office for a scheduled paravertebral facet joint injection. The patient is currently on a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, ranitidine, and glucosamine-chondroitin. He reports pain and stiffness in his lower lumbar area and denies any other complaints. The two facets at L4–L5 are each injected with glucocorticoid preparations. Fluoroscopic guidance is done for the supervision of needle placement.

How would this be coded?

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Billing and coding is not as easy as one might think. The rules are constantly changing—and the codes for facet joint injections, which have changed frequently over the years, are a prime example. To make sure your practice is in compliance, billers, coders, and physicians should remain informed of the correct coding guidelines for facet joint injections. No one in a physician’s practice should ever assume that, because they coded a procedure a certain way in years past, it is still the status quo. Every rheumatologist and his or her staff should understand the what, why, and where of facet joint injections.

Limited evidence and diagnostic options make this increasing condition difficult to treat

Are your coders equipped with the latest coding information? Every year there are changes to the diagnoses and procedure codes, whether this is deletion or newly created codes. Along with coding updates, insurance carriers frequently adjust, delete, or create medical policies to reflect updates to procedures or diagnose codes.

Challenges in diagnosis and management.

Coding and Billing for Facet Joint Injections

Meet the Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Challenge

Your Coders Are as Good as Their Coding Tools

The Complexity of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

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