mg/ml Question

Is 1cc of an 80 mg/ml solution equivalent to 2 cc of a 40 mg/ml solution?

I have a provider who is documenting that he injected 80 mg of Depo-Medrol. He is not documenting the number of cc injected. My coder wants to bill J1030 x 2.

In my mind, I need, at the very least to know the number of cc injected. If the provider is drawing from a 40 mg/ml vial and injecting and injecting 2cc of this solution, then my coder is correct. However, if my provider is drawing from an 80mg/ml vial and injecting 2 cc, then it would be more appropriate to bill J1040 x2.

My coder does not believe that she needs to know the number of cc injected in order to code the encounter. She believes that the only info needed is the total mg and that 2 units of 40 mg is the same as 1 unit of 80 mg.

re: mg/ml Question

the difference is the amount of drug (mg) vs the amount of drug in solution (ml). There is not a reference to the meaning of the table as in a guideline, but an explanation of how the Drug Table works.
"The Dosage column describes the quantity of the drug up to and including the amount listed on the table. For example, find Abciximab. Dosage is listed as 10 mg. The associated code describes any amount of the drug up to and including 10 mg."
So knowing the (ml/cc) is not necessary, just the amount of actual drug (not solution) is what is coded.

Does anyone have a different/better explanation? I looked for references but couldn't find any.

re: mg/ml Question

There is no difference between 1 mL and 1 cc. They are terms describing the volume of medication injected and are used interchangeably. Consider these examples:
•1 mL of 40 mg/mL equals 40 mg of the steroid, which leads to billing 1 unit of J1030
•0.5 cc of 40 mg/mL equals 20 mg Depo-Medrol, or code 1 unit of J1020
•2 cc of 40 mg/mL equals 80 mg of Depo-Medrol or 1 unit of J1040.
Three Depo-Medrol codes to cover the different strengths:
•J1020 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 20 mg
•J1030 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 40 mg
•J1040 -- Injection, methylprednisolone acetate, 80 mg.

re: mg/ml Question

Thank you, this helps.