Sally Smith is a coder for Sunny Side Associates in Thoracic Surgery. She reviewed the operative report from a procedure that was completed in the mediastinum by Dr. Zon. Sally feels that none of the CPT codes fully describes the procedure that was completed. State what she should do
Sally should contact Dr. Zon and review the procedure that was completed to determine if a CPT code can be used. If none of the codes fully describes the procedure performed, then she should report code 39499, unlisted procedure of the mediastinum.
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What type of procedure is the suctioning of blood-tinged secretions from a patient with an artificial airway?
A. universal B. benign C. sterile D. clean