A 47-year-old male patient with advanced cancer of the lower left mandible presented to the hospital for surgical removal of the lower left jawbone with secondary insertion of mandibular prosthesis. In order to perform surgery, the patient had to be intubated through a tracheostomy. After anesthesia, the surgeon performed the tracheostomy by incising the cricothyroid membrane horizontally along the trachea and inserting the intubation device. The surgeon completed the primary surgical procedure on the patient's mandible. What is the correct code for the intubation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

No code should be used for the intubation procedure. The correct code in this case is 31600 (Tracheostomy, Planned (Separate Procedure)).This code is designated as a separate procedure, so it should only be reported if it was the only procedure performed during a surgical session. The primary procedure performed was the mandibular excision and reconstruction; therefore the tracheostomy should be bundled into the major procedure. The intubation should not be reported separately.

A 47-Year-Old Male Patient with Advanced Cancer of the Lower