Ask the Coder (539)

You may only code those teeth that are diseased and involved. From your description above it appears to be 1-3 teeth, therefore CDT code D4261 would be the most appropriate code.

Yes, you are required to maintain 12 CE's per year. You are also required to be a member in good standing to keep and maintain your CDC credential. You may find more information on our website under the CEU Center tab.

No! Whatever procedure the doctor performs must be within his contratual guidelines. Meaning if he charges the patient an extra fee he must report that fee to the carrier, otherwise, this maybe considered a form of fraud.

According to insurance guidelines the plan that has been in effect the longest would be the primary plan. If he is still insured and eligible under his fathers plan that plan would be considered primary and his wife's insurance would be secondary. Now if he is no longer eligible under his father's plan his wife's (more)

The correct ICD-9-CM code is 525.19

For a child under 3 years of age you should use D0145, for children over the age of 3 you should use D0150

When you say "drugs" be more specific. Are you referring to other sedative medications? I cannot see why other medications would not be covered because moderation sedation was used. This may also be payer specific and/or plan specific. You might also want to document the reason for needing any additional medications (ie: patient was autistic (more)

If a patient (child) has dual insurace meaning they have two dental plans the primary insurance will depend on several factors. 1. Who's birthday falls first mother or father 2. Who's plan has been in effect the longest 3. Is there a court order determining custody and insurance In order to find the answer you (more)

Medicare is never automatically the primary insurance carrier for any state, you must determine what coverage the patient has and determine who is the primary carrier. Let's say for example the patient has a working spouse with crediable coverage through Cigna, in this instance the patient's primary carrier would be Cigna and Medicare would be (more)