Radiology and Diagnostic Services Coding
Radiology Fundamentals
Radiology coding separates professional from technical components. Know when a global service applies vs. when only the professional or technical component is billed. Understand contrast (with vs. without), laterality, and number of views as coding drivers.
Concepts You Must Know
- Diagnostic vs. screening distinctions and coverage implications.
- Interventional radiology procedures (injections, drainages) and their bundling with imaging guidance.
- 3D rendering and post-processing as separately reportable services when documented.
- Supervision and interpretation requirements for diagnostic tests.
Traps
- Billing a global code when only the professional interpretation was performed.
- Assuming imaging guidance is always separately payable; it is often bundled.
- Missing laterality or contrast documentation, which changes the code.
- Confusing screening with diagnostic when symptoms are documented.
Rule of Thumb
Ask: Who did what? If the physician only interpreted, bill the professional component. If the facility performed the study, bill the technical component. If both, bill global.
Worked Example
A hospital performs a CT and a radiologist interprets it. The facility bills the technical component and the radiologist bills the professional component; the global code is not appropriate for either alone.