Questions Answered Regarding IM Injections

Do you find that you have several questions in regards to injection codes? Well, if you do then you certainly not alone! In order to determine which of the codes apply for certain injection procedures, you can use a couple of great guidelines that are sure to help you out.

Perhaps you have a question on whether or not supervision plays a role in the code that you need to report. Is the physician for the patient in the office and available while the injection is going to be taking place? When the answer to this is yes, you can feel confident in reporting code 90772. A code of 9921 should be reported instead when you find that the physician is not available and direct-supervision criteria cannot be met at that time. Basically, in order for the code 90772 to be valid, the physician must be present within the office and available to the patient should the need arise.

In addition to this, when you are coding with 90772, you need to make sure that there is proper documentation in place to support this code entry. If you cannot provide the proper documentation to prove that the physician was there in the office at the time, it is generally known that the code for a nurse visit will be a better option. It is also important that along with the time and nature of the IM injections that the name of the obstetrician in the office at the time be recorded.

View all Articles by: Kathryn Etienne, CCS-P