An 18-year-old male presents to the ED following a serious motor vehicle accident. Based on his injuries and symptoms, the ED physician orders a CT of the abdomen and pelvis to assess any possible injuries. He accompanies the patient to the radiology department and discusses the findings with the radiologist as they became available. Based on a preliminary review of the findings, the radiologist suggests the use of IV contrast for the pelvic CT so suspected findings can be confirmed. The ED physician concurs and IV contrast is administered and additional pelvic images are obtained. The radiologist supervises the process of providing the CT and provides a dictated report of his interpretation and findings. Which CPT® code(s) should the radiologist report?

Question

An 18-year-old male presents to the ED following a serious motor vehicle accident. Based on his injuries and symptoms, the ED physician orders a CT of the abdomen and pelvis to assess any possible injuries. He accompanies the patient to the radiology department and discusses the findings with the radiologist as they became available. Based on a preliminary review of the findings, the radiologist suggests the use of IV contrast for the pelvic CT so suspected findings can be confirmed. The ED physician concurs and IV contrast is administered and additional pelvic images are obtained. The radiologist supervises the process of providing the CT and provides a dictated report of his interpretation and findings. Which CPT® code(s) should the radiologist report?

A. 74150, 72194

B. 74176, 72193

C. 74177

D. 74178

Answer 1

To determine the correct CPT code(s) for the radiologist in this scenario, we need to understand the different CPT codes for CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis with and without contrast.

CPT code 74150 is used for a CT scan of the abdomen without contrast.

CPT code 74176 is used for a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis without contrast.

CPT code 74177 is used for a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast.

CPT code 74178 is used for a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with and without contrast.

In this scenario, the radiologist initially suggests using IV contrast for the pelvic CT to confirm suspected findings. This indicates that the CT scan includes contrast (IV contrast). Therefore, the correct code(s) for the radiologist to report would be:

C. 74177. (CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast)

Note: As the scenario does not mention a separate scan without contrast, we do not need to include any codes for scans without contrast.