Mr. Johnson was seen in his primary care physician’s office today for an evaluation of chest pains. He has been experiencing shortness of breath as well as intermittent chest pains for the past week. He has also been experiencing tingling and numbness in his left hand and fingers. His primary care physician suspects a cardiac rhythm abnormality and performs a rhythm electrocardiogram in the office. After reading the ECG report, Mr. Johnson’s physician determines that his heart rhythm needs more evaluation and refers him to a cardiac specialist. How should the electrocardiogram code be reported?
Explanation
Answer: D - The electrocardiogram should be reported with the code 93040 (Rhythm ECG, 1-3 Leads; with Interpretation and Report). Codes 93000 and 93010 should not be reported because the ECG was a rhythm ECG, not a routine ECG. Code 93042 (Rhythm ECG, 1-3 Leads; Interpretation and Report Only) also should not be reported because the physician performed the ECG, interpreted and reported the results of the ECG, instead of just interpreting the results.
