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So you're finding it a chore to differentiate between the two codes for pulmonary stress test. Is it? The important thing you need to do is to look out for clues in their descriptions. Read through this specialty coding article to help your understanding. A physician orders pulmonary stress testing on patients who complain of shortness of breath. The test allows the doctor to figure out if the underlying cause is heart disease or lung disease. If you would have to code this test, you have two codes to select from: 94620, 94621. Simple and complex: While coding 94620 and 94621, you'd find that the words 'simple' and 'complex' differentiate one from the other. But then these words are not sufficient to look for hints. You could differentiate 94620 from 94621 more easily if you understood what the descriptors imply in detail. For example, if documentation supports it, most six-minute walk tests can be coded as 94620 - a test performed for pulmonary assessment. According to CPT Assistant, documentation should include heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and liter flow of supplemental oxygen. Each of these should be recorded at rest, during exercise and during recovery. CPT 94620 also covers physician analysis of data, interpretation of the test and a written report. Key: See to it that the test is carried out with the proper level of physician supervision and that the supervision is documented well. CPT 94620 requires general supervision while 94621 requires direct supervision. Direct supervision means the doctor must be present in the office suite and immediately available to provide aid and direction throughout the time the aide is carrying out services. Let's take this instance: A 70-year-old patient with COPD presents for evaluation for entrance into a pulmonary rehab program. Under direct supervision of a doctor, she goes throough a six-minute walk test to assess distance dyspnea, oxyhemoglobin desaturation, and heart rate. The doctor repeats the test post a rest period to eliminate learning bias, but reported as one test. You'd report this service with 94620. For more on this and for other specialty coding articles to assist your pulmonology coding, sign up for a one-stop medical coding guide like Supercoder. Such a site comes with a specialty coding library to ensure you get every penny your practice deserves. In fact, with insightful articles on the medical coding challenges you face every day, such a specialty coding library is sure to become your source for spot on and timely coding how tos.
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