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Documentation, coding, and billing: what abdominal radiologists need to know

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Abstract

This article reviews basic concepts of report documentation for abdominal imaging examinations, focusing on practical elements for ensuring appropriate physician reimbursement. Nuances of abdominal radiography, CT, MRI, and ultrasonography codes are highlighted. Special considerations for the coding of 3D-rendering and contrast administration are also described. Greater abdominal radiologist awareness of these codes and their reporting requirements can help ensure proper documentation within radiology reports, thereby optimizing legitimate reimbursement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, NYU School of Medicine, Center for Biomedical Imaging, NYU Langone Medical Center, 660 First Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Andrew B. Rosenkrantz

  2. Department of Radiology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Andrew J. Degnan

  3. Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Richard Duszak Jr.

Authors
  1. Andrew B. Rosenkrantz
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  2. Andrew J. Degnan
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  3. Richard Duszak Jr.
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Correspondence to Andrew B. Rosenkrantz.

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No funding was received for this study.

Conflict of interest

Andrew B. Rosenkrantz and Richard Duszak Jr. receive research grants from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute. Andrew J. Degnan has no conflicts of interest to declare.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Statement of informed consent was not applicable since the manuscript does not contain any patient data.

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Rosenkrantz, A.B., Degnan, A.J. & Duszak, R. Documentation, coding, and billing: what abdominal radiologists need to know. Abdom Radiol 43, 734–741 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1235-z

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