Cardiology Question for the Week of July 4, 2022

Question:

An interventional cardiologist places three drug-eluting stents, one in the left circumflex and another in the obtuse marginal branch. A third DES stent is deployed within the left anterior descending coronary artery. Do you have any recommendations for reporting?

For a physician setting report 92928-LC, 92929-LC, 92928-LD. For a hospital setting report C9600-LC, C9601-LC, and C9600-LD. Two primary codes and one add-on code are reported for the treatments described. For physicians, the stenting of the LCX is reported with code 92928. The separate lesion within the obtuse marginal branch of the LCX is reported with code 92929. The third stent deployed within the LAD is reported with code 92928. For Medicare hospital billing, because DES were implanted, C-codes must be utilized to help capture the cost of the device in addition to the procedures. Primary/base codes C9600-LC, C9600-LD, as well as C9601-LC for the add-on OM branch would be assigned.

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