Question

A physician took an impression of a 47-year-old woman's left orbital socket and created a custom prosthesis. What is the correct code for this service? 21076 21089 -LT 21088 -LT 21077 -LT

Answer 1

The correct code for a physician taking an impression of a left orbital socket and creating a custom prosthesis is 21076 with the modifier -LT to indicate the left side.

Step-by-step explanation:

A physician took an impression of a 47-year-old woman's left orbital socket and created a custom prosthesis. To code for this service accurately, we must refer to the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. The appropriate code in this scenario would be 21076 when a physician prepares an impression and custom preparation of an orbital prosthesis. Codes 21077 and 21088 are used for other procedures related to facial prosthetics, which do not apply here. Code 21089 applies for an unspecified prosthesis, which is less specific than what is needed for our case. The addition of the modifier -LT (Left Side) specifies that the service was performed on the left side, which is needed in the coding to provide clarity on which orbital socket the prosthesis was created for. Hence, the correct code for this service is 21076 -LT

Answer 2

The appropriate CPT code for creating a custom prosthesis from an impression of a left orbital socket is 21076. Other codes mentioned are for different procedures or do not specify custom preparation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct code for the service of taking an impression of a 47-year-old woman's left orbital socket and creating a custom prosthesis is 21076.

When it comes to CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) coding, each code pertains to a specific medical procedure. The code 21076 is used when a physician prepares an impression and custom preparation of an ocular prosthesis, which may involve the left or right orbital area, and it does not need a modifier for a specific side unless the payer's guidelines require it. Code 21089 is used for alloplastic material preparation, which is not the case here, and the code 21088 is for preparing a non-custom prosthesis, which also does not apply. Lastly, code 21077 is for prosthetic reconstruction of the mandible, which is unrelated to the orbital socket.