Radiology Question for the Week of June 8, 2020

Question:

Do you have any guidance on reporting non-vascular extremity ultrasound?

Answer:

The evaluation of a mass within the soft tissues of the extremity is reported with code 76882. Ultrasound of the axilla when performed alone is assigned code 76882. If spectral Doppler and a color imaging examination is medically necessary and performed, report additional code 93925, 93926, 93930, or 93931. Note that if a duplex scan is performed in addition to the regular ultrasound scan, ensure that the physician’s dictated report indicates why the Duplex was performed and what diagnostic information was obtained from it. According to NCCI edits, codes 76881 and 76882 are components of 93925, 93926, 93930, and 93931. When appropriate, append the -59 modifier to codes 76881 and 76882.