Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Coding Corner Question: May 2008

  |  Issue: May 2008  |  

A 68-year-old male established 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 anti-inflammatory drug, ranitidine, and glucosamine-chondroitin. He reports pain and stiffness in his lower lumbar area and denies any other complaints. The two facets at L4-5 were each injected with glucocorticoid preparations. Fluoroscopic guidance was done for the supervision of needle placement.

How would you code this? Click here for the answer.

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Related Articles

    Coding and Billing for Facet Joint Injections

    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.

    Your Coders Are as Good as Their Coding Tools

    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.