April 29, 2021

Question:
I just finished my residency and am in an employed situation.  In reviewing my end-of-month RVU reports, I’m seeing a lot of the codes I submitted are missing. I’m starting to wonder if I have been coding wrong or the hospital’s coders.  Can we code for intrathecal morphine at the end of the case for postop pain management? Can we code for intraoperative fluoroscopy for spinal level localization? How about intraoperative ultrasound for tumor localization?

Answer:
Good questions and we are happy to hear you are getting an RVU report that is detailed enough to show the codes.  Your coders are correct – all the items you list are included in the global surgical package for the procedure you are performing.

*This response is based on the best information available as of 4/29/21.