Ask Dr. Z

In our pediatric electrophysiology studies, an assistant physician is always present. This physician helps with real-time interpretation of the intracardiac electrograms to help with mapping. They help with determining where to place the catheters for mapping, as well as localizing the accessory pathway for ablation. By having an attending physician assisting with the mapping, this helps reduce anesthesia time by more efficiently identifying subtle signals that determine where to perform the ablation. They also help to monitor for any possible complications during the ablation, such as complete heart block. In pediatric electrophysiology, since the hearts are smaller than adult patients, we are more careful with number of burns that are placed, because they can have more harmful consequences. The assisting physician uses his/her expertise to help determine the best site of ablation and, therefore, minimizes the number of burns needed for a successful ablation. It seems to me this is a dual surgeon case. How would this be coded?