Practice Quiz

Medical Coding

Category - 30,000 Series

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A 2-month-old male with diphtheria presented to the hospital with severe respiratory distress. The emergency department physician performed a pulse oximetry and discovered that the patient’s blood oxygen level was in the 60’s. The on-call physician ordered an emergency endotracheal intubation to restore oxygen flow to the infant. Once the airflow was established, care was transferred to the on-call pediatrician. What is the appropriate code for the emergency department procedure(s)?
  1. 31500, 94760-51
  2. 31500, 94761
  3. 31603, 94761
  4. 31603, 94760 -51
Explanation
Answer: A - The appropriate code for the emergency department procedures are 31500 for (Intubation, Endotracheal, Emergency Procedure) and 94760, for the pulse oximetry. The pulse ox was a multiple procedure, so it should be appended with modifier -51. Code 31603 is not the appropriate code because it refers to a tracheostomy. These two procedures are often confused in coding but the code for an endotracheal intubation is within the larynx section and the code for the tracheostomy is within the trachea section.
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