Ob-gyn Coding: Polish Up Your Twin Delivery, Ultrasound Coding

By Author: Angela Martin
Total Articles: 205
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Are you aware how to report ultrasounds and different-day deliveries? If not, you are not alone. Here our experts provide you with all the answers you need to get the most out of your multiple-gestation claims.

Issue 1: Determine different-day delivery coding strategy

Oftentimes, multiple-gestation babies will be born on different days. For instance, a patient is at 38 weeks gestation and is carrying twins in two sacs. While one membrane ruptures, the ob-gyn delivers the baby vaginally. A couple of days later, the second ruptures and the second baby delivers vaginally as well.

Solution: You should report the first baby as a delivery only on that date of service. For the second, you should bill the global code (59400) on that date of service, assuming the doctor provided prenatal care. The reason behind not billing the global first is that you are still offering prenatal care owing to the retained twin.

You will have to attach a letter explaining the situation to the insurance company as the right diagnosis for every delivery is twins even though ...
... the ob-gyn has delivered only one. Your payers will require you to use the outcome codes, however you may have to explain that it is still twins even though only the first baby was delivered.

For more tips on ways to fine tune your twin delivery, ultra sound coding and for other ob-gyn coding tips, register yourself for an audio conference. When you sign up for one, you'll know exactly how to report ultrasounds and different-day deliveries, get all the 2011 ICD-9-CM update for ob-gyn and lots more!

The best part of attending such an ob-gyn coding conference is that you get to attend it from just about anywhere. And to cap it all, such a conference also provides you with those much-needed CEUs to keep your certification up and running!