Abortion Coding: Complete or Incomplete? The Type of Abortion Makes All the Difference

If you report the wrong diagnosis code, you may lose reimbursement.

If you label a nonelective abortion as "complete" or "incomplete," you may automatically establish your CPT® coding options for the ob-gyn's services, regardless of what he or she may have done.

Generally, you will designate nonelective abortions at fewer than 22 weeks gestation as spontaneous incomplete (634.x1), spontaneous complete (634.x2) or missed (632). Although technological advances enable physicians to detect pregnancy in its earliest stages, coding for nonelective abortions has become more complicated.

When a patient presents with no prior pregnancy diagnosis, the ob-gyn can use tools such as [...]

- Published on 2011-09-05