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CPT 74022 Clarification on number of abdomen views to bill for this code.

Date: Jan 21, 2019

Question:

I need clarification for question #11729. The CPT description is for a “complete acute abdomen series, including supine, erect, and/or decubitus views, single view chest”. My understanding is there must be a minimum of 2 views of the abdomen with 1 view of the chest. In your answer, you state only “one” or more views of the abdomen are imaged. In doing further research, I have come across an article from the AAPC that states for a single view of the chest and a single view of the abdomen, report 71045 (chest; single view) and 74018 (abdomen; single view). My question is, when a patient has only 1 view of the abdomen with 1 view of the chest, are you in agreement that CPT 71045 and CPT 74018 are the two codes that should be billed? If the patient has 2 views of the abdomen with 1 view of the chest, then CPT 74022 would be billed?

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