Ask Dr. Z

CPT codes 76376 and 76377 require concurrent physician supervision. I haven’t seen anything clearly defining the term beyond American College of Radiology 2012 FAQs which note that “concurrent means active participation in and monitoring of the reconstruction process that includes: design of the anatomic region that is to be reconstructed; determination of the tissue types and actual structures to be displayed (eg, bone, organs, and vessels); determination of the images or cine loops that are to be archived; and monitoring and adjustment of the 3D work product.” Moreover, the ACR’s Q&A notes that concurrent physician supervision “defines a temporal relationship to creating the 3D image”.

Are you aware of any more recent guidance or clarification of the necessary level of supervision required by these CPT codes given advances in technology that make 3D reconstruction mainly a computer-driven process?