On Demand - Coding for Thoracic Procedures - Open and VATS-Question and Answer

Question and Answer

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Q&A Thoracic Procedures – Open and VATS<br /><br />Q1: Can you bill for more than one assistance during a surgery?<br />A: This would depend on the carrier. Most likely, they will not reimburse for multiple assistants.<br /><br />Q2: Is freeing the lung from adherence to the chest wall considered decortication?<br />A: Without seeing the documentation, it is difficult to determine. Please share the redacted op note for a better answer.<br /><br />Q3: Can 32652 and 32653 be billed together?<br />A: Yes, they can be billed together if both procedures are well-documented. There are no edits.<br /><br />Q4: What do you bill for a pexy after lobectomy?<br />A: If it is tracheopexy, bill it with an unlisted procedure code 31899.<br /><br />Q5: What do you bill for pexy/fixation for torsion?<br />A: Please provide more information. Is this a tracheopexy or something else?<br /><br />Q6: What are commonly asked about non-codable procedures?<br />A: This is a broad question. Non-diagnostic bronchs are usually included. Feel free to email us with specific questions.<br /><br />Q7: Why stress margins for therapeutic wedge resections for lung cancer?<br />A: Grossly negative margins not confirmed in pathology are still considered therapeutic. Margins need to be documented for clarification.<br /><br />Q8: Can 32220 be billed with 32150 and 32215?<br />A: 32220 and 32215 bundle with 32150. We would need to see the documentation to confirm if unbundling is supported.<br /><br />Q9: How is evacuation of pleural effusion coded by thoracotomy?<br />A: Use CPT code 32150.

Keywords

Thoracic Procedures

Open and VATS

billing for multiple assistants

decortication

billing together 32652 and 32653

pexy after lobectomy

tracheopexy

non-codable procedures

therapeutic wedge resections

evacuation of pleural effusion