CPT 2012: Improve Your Medicine, Cardiothoracic Surgery Reporting

Part with diagnostic thoracoscopy code 32602 in favor of new codes 32607-32609.

Don't forget to check for deleted codes for CPT while preparing to use your CPT® 2012 manual, not just novel codes as well as revised descriptors. Next year's set of procedure codes will involve new additions for coding certain common medicine/pulmonary procedures. Simultaneously, you will be missing the resistance to airflow determination code, and also a few additional familiar pulmonary procedures.

Gauge Potential Opportunities With Brand New Medicine Codes

You and your pulmonologists should pay special attention to the subsequent novel codes for CPT in the medicine/pulmonary section of CPT® 2012 manual:

94726 -- i.e. Plethysmography meant for determination of lung volumes and, when carried out, airway resistance

94727 -- i.e. Gas dilution or washout meant for determination of lung volumes and, when carried out, distribution of ventilation as well as closing volumes

94728 -- i.e. Airway resistance by means of impulse oscillometry

+94729 – i.e. Diffusing capacity (e.g., carbon monoxide, membrane) (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

94780 -- i.e. Car seat/bed testing for airway integrity, neonate, with incessant nursing observation and incessant recording of pulse oximetry, heart rate along with respiratory rate, including interpretation as well as report; 60 minutes

+94781 -- i.e. …every added full 30 minutes (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure).

Certain of these codes for CPT were formulated in an effort to try to adapt to existing practice and elucidate earlier confusion while reporting PFTs. One instance is plethysmography. Earlier options for reporting this particular service was 93720 (Plethysmography, total body; with interpretation and report) or 94360 (Determination of resistance to airflow, oscillatory or plethysmographic methods). Effective Jan. 1 a noval code will now reflect the more correct testing method.

2012 will introduce 18 noval cardiothoracic surgery codes for CPT . These codes for CPT include:

32096 – i.e. Thoracotomy, including diagnostic biopsy(ies) of lung infiltrate(s) (e.g., wedge, incisional), unilateral

32097 -- i.e. Thoracotomy, including diagnostic biopsy(ies) of lung nodule(s) or mass(es) (e.g., wedge, incisional), unilateral

32098 -- i.e. Thoracotomy, including diagnostic biopsy(ies) of pleura

32505 -- i.e. Thoracotomy, including therapeutic wedge resection (e.g., mass, nodule), initial

+32506 -- i.e.... including therapeutic wedge resection (e.g., mass or nodule), each additional resection, ipsilateral (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

+32507 -- i.e. ... including diagnostic wedge resection followed by anatomic lung resection (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

32607 -- i.e. Thoracoscopy; including diagnostic biopsy(ies) of lung infiltrate(s) (e.g., wedge, incisional), unilateral

32608 -- i.e.... including diagnostic biopsy(ies) of lung nodule(s) of mass(es) (e.g., wedge, incisional), unilateral

32609 -- i.e.... including biopsy(ies) of pleura

32666 -- i.e.... including therapeutic wedge resection (e.g., mass, nodule), initial unilateral

+32667 -- i.e.... including therapeutic wedge resection (e.g., mass or nodule), each additional resection, ipsilateral (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

+32668 -- ... including diagnostic wedge resection with subsequent anatomic lung resection (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

32669 -- ... including removal of a single lung section (segmentectomy)

32670 -- ... including elimination of two lobes (bilobectomy)

32671 -- ... including removal of lung (pneumonectomy)

32672 -- ... including resection-plication for emphysematous lung (bullous or non-bullous) meant for lung volume reduction (LVRS), unilateral involves any pleural procedure, when carried out

32673 -- ... including resection of thymus, could be unilateral or bilateral

+32674 -- ... including mediastinal as well as regional lymphadenectomy (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure).

The codes are cardiothoracic surgery codes. It looks as if they [CPT®] have expanded all of these series to involve more detail, and more precisely capture the amount of effort related to unilateral vs bilateral services along with procedures including multiple (ipsilateral) biopsies.