A physician performed a needle aspiration of an infected thyroid cyst using imaging guidance. The aspirate was sent to the pathology lab to identify the bacterium within the cyst. What are the correct procedure codes?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The correct procedure codes are: 60300 (Aspiration and/or Injection, Thyroid Cyst) and 76942 (Ultrasonic Guidance for Needle Placement (e.g. Biopsy, Aspiration, Injection, Localization Device) Imaging Supervision and Interpretation).Imaging guidance was performed so code 76942 needs to be included on the claim. Code 60000 is used for the incision and drainage of a thyroglossal duct cyst not an aspiration of a cyst. Code 10021 is also incorrect because the aspiration was not performed by a fine needle.

A Physician Performed a Needle Aspiration of an Infected Thyroid