Health Information Management

Tip: 2014 CPT Manual updates therapeutic radiology codes

APCs Insider, April 18, 2014

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The AMA updated the guidelines in the 2014 CPT® Manual for therapeutic radiology simulation-aided field settings (77280, 77285, 77290) to more clearly define simple, intermediate, and complex levels.
A simulation is considered complex if any of the following criteria are met:
  • Particle, rotation, or arc therapy
  • Complex or custom blocking
  • Brachytherapy simulation
  • Hyperthermia probe verification
  • Any use of contrast material
In the absence of those criteria, complexity can also be defined by the number of treatment areas. A simple treatment covers one area, an intermediate covers two, and a complex covers three or more. A treatment area is defined as the contiguous anatomic location that will be treated with radiation therapy.
This tip is adapted from “AMA updates CPT codes for new technology and drugs in 2014” in the April issue of Briefings on APCs.



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