Compliance Question of the Week – Radiology

What CPT codes are appropriate for US of the right face to evaluate venous malformation?

A physician ordered an ultrasound study to check for abdominal ascites and asked the skin be marked if the ultrasound study is positive. The ordering physician, subsequently, did the paracentesis procedure at the bedside “without” imaging guidance based on the skin markings. How are these studies reported?

A patient had two different gray-scale ultrasound exams (76536) completed at the same encounter; one for thyroid nodules and one to evaluate a soft-tissue lump on the patient’s jawline. Can we bill for both of these exams separately?

What do we code for soft tissue ultrasound?

If left and right ultrasound exams for pleural effusions is performed, is it appropriate to report two units of code 76604? The code description states “includes mediastinum,” does that make it a unilateral or bilateral code?

An “ultrasound abdomen complete” (76700) is ordered with the indication of “Abdominal pain, evaluate for Umbilical Hernia.” The hernia images are not included in our protocol for abdomen complete, but we are adding them anyway. Should we be adding an abdominal limited code, one quadrant (76705), along with the abdomen complete code 76700, or does the complete include an evaluation of hernia?