62287/62290

Can you bill 62290 with 62287 at each level in 2010 and 2011

re: 62287/62290

CPT® 62287 code for a lumbar percutaneous discectomy procedure has also been revised by the AMA for 2012. Code 62287 for the decompression procedure, percutaneous, of intervertebral disc, was revised to state that it is performed by "any method which utilizes a needle-based technique to remove disc material under fluoroscopic guidance or other form of indirect visualization, with the use of an endoscope, with discography and/or epidural injection(s) at the treated level(s), when performed," single or multiple levels, lumbar. Use of an endoscopic approach was not previously stated; use of discograms and imaging and an epidural injection are all new verbiage to this code. Therefore, now code 62287 cannot be billed with codes 62267, 62290, 62311 or imaging codes 77003, 77012 or 72295, when performed at the same level. CPT® directs that if a percutaneous discectomy is performed as a non-needle-based technique to use new Category III CPT® codes 0276T or 0277T, as appropriate.