PRESENTATION TITLE:

Cardiac Imaging – CT, MR, and Nuclear Medicine

GOAL

The goal of this session is to prepare participants to assign procedure codes for noninvasive cardiac imaging studies, including cardiac CT, MRI, and nuclear cardiology exams.

OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the various types of common noninvasive cardiac imaging studies.               

2. Accurately assign procedure codes for common noninvasive cardiac imaging studies.
3. Discuss reimbursement issues related to noninvasive cardiac imaging studies, including coverage limitations, bundling, and others.

ABSTRACT:

When it comes to noninvasive imaging of the heart, physicians have more choices now than ever before.  In addition to nuclear exams such as myocardial perfusion and blood pool studies, the heart can also be studied using CT, CTA, and MRI.  Some of these exams are relatively new and many are subject to coverage restrictions and special billing guidelines.  This session is designed to familiarize participants with the various types of cardiac imaging exams and enable them to choose the appropriate procedure code(s) for the specific services that were performed and documented.

Each of the exams will be briefly explained to assist participants in understanding the differences among them.  Coding guidelines will then be reviewed in detail, as well as specific reimbursement issues such as coverage limitations, bundling, modifier use, payor claims edits, etc.  Examples and scenarios will be used to illustrate key learning points.  At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about information covered during the session.