Ask Dr. Z
Ask Dr. Z Knowledge Base houses over 7,500 coding questions and answers dating back to 2013.
Ask Dr. Z Disclaimer
Please note this question was answered in 2022. The coding advice may or may not be outdated.
Pacemaker upgrade via OPEN heart insicision
Question:
During an open heart procedure, patient is in need of a pacemaker upgrade to biventricular pacemaker. They removed old generator, removed RV lead, placed LV lead, placed new RV lead, and placed new biventricular generator. Am I right in thinking, 33235, 33202, 33221, 33225? Looks like 33233 bundles and modifier is not allowed. Or am I way off the beaten path? In question ID 13070 (from Dec 5, 2019) Dr. Dunn responded to a question saying that 33202 includes 33225. However, the CPT Codebook says under 33225 to code also placement of epicardial electrode when appropriate (33202-33203). Is this an appropriate time to code 33225 also?
Need to ask Dr.Z?
Don't see the answer you're looking for in the knowledge base? No problem. You can ask Dr. Z directly!Ask Dr. Z a question now!