Code for EMG-Do you find it hard to decide too?

If a coder is not well versed with the body physiology, anatomy and terminology, then he may not understand the physician's procedural documents. Let us suppose there is a patient whose physiology of the muscles was found to be altered or dysfunctional. Also, he has been told to get muscle and nerve tests done. Now you being a coder, you have to be alert enough that you use the. Code for EMG that clearly states out the diagnostic purpose of the nerve dysfunction. Code for EMG is an integral service of the Anesthesia procedure and hence comes under the Anesthesia HCPCS/CPT codes.

You need to be sure that any Code for EMG should be reported only if there is a complete diagnostic report attached to the medical record. Also, it is worth remembering that for any biofeedback session where electromyography techniques may have been used to determine or record muscle activity,. EMG Code (95860-95872) should not be reported separately. However if the EMG has been used as a separate diagnostic service, necessary for diagnosis of an organic muscle dysfunction, then you need to use separate code for EMG service. Now if during the Biofeedback session, the EMG service was availed, then Modifier 59 needs to be used along with the EMG Code. Similarly, if nerve testing is performed during mechanical ventilation or anesthesia to determine the level of paralysis, then the codes 95851-95937 should not be reported separately.

It is of utmost importance, that a clear procedural understanding is there or else there may be errors when you code for EMG services. For example codes 95867 and 95868 have a very close resemblance as both of them are meant to denote Needle Electromyography done on one or more muscles supplied by cranial nerves. Now only an informed coder would be able to code it right - Code 95867 to be used when the examination is done on one side while code 95868 to be used when the same is done on both sides of the body.

Many such combinations exist that you need to keep in mind and bring the tricks to work. And to get the codes right, you need to be in touch and stay in practice to update your skills. So wait no more. Get hold of an updated resource pool which comes handy to you when you need the right information.