Question

Bronchial alveolar lavage and four endobronchial biopsies were performed and submitted to the insurance carrier as follows: 31625-RT x 4 units, 31624-51-RT. Is this claim coded appropriately?

a. Units should be deleted from 31625, only one unit is reported.
b. Codes submitted were correct.
c. Modifier -51 should be deleted from 31624.
d. 31624 is bundled in 31625 and should be deleted.

Answer 1

The claim is not coded appropriately. The correct coding should be: 31625-RT for bronchoalveolar lavage and four endobronchial biopsies, and 31624-RT for endobronchial biopsies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The claim is not coded appropriately. The correct coding should be: 31625-RT

This code represents the bronchoalveolar lavage and four endobronchial biopsies. The correct unit is one as only one procedure was performed, not four. 31624-RT

This code represents the endobronchial biopsies. The modifier -51 should be deleted because it indicates multiple procedures of the same code, which is not the case here.

So, the correct coding should be 31625-RT and 31624-RT without the modifier.