AAPC Certified Professional Coder (CPC) — Question 101

A patient with a history of chronic venous embolism in the inferior vena cava has a radiographic study to visualize any abnormalities. In outpatient surgery the physician accesses the subclavian vein and the catheter is advanced to the inferior vena cava for injection and imaging. The supervision and interpretation of the images is performed by the physician.
What codes are reported for this procedure?

Answer options

• A. 36000, 75825-26
• B. 36010, 75827-26
• C. 36010, 75825-26
• D. 36000, 75827-26

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct codes for this procedure are 36010 for catheter placement in the inferior vena cava and 75825-26 for the imaging supervision and interpretation. The other options either use the wrong catheter placement code (36000 instead of 36010) or the incorrect imaging code (75827 instead of 75825).