Ask Dr. Z

We have a neurosurgeon who frequently performs cases in our IR suite. On his reports he almost universally dictates the following statement, and I wanted to get your opinion on if it satisfies documentation standards to bill for additional diagnostic imaging when it is permissible. In some cases his office consult note states that the patient is being brought in for angiogram and intervention. "The prior non-invasive cerebral imaging is inadequate to determine detailed geometry of the vascular lesion for treatment-making decision."