2025 CPT code 92979
(Active) Effective Date: N/A Revision Date: N/A Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - Add-on codes Cardiovascular System Feed
Intravascular ultrasound or optical coherence tomography of each additional coronary vessel or graft after initial vessel imaging.
Modifiers 26 (professional component) and TC (technical component) may be appended depending on the arrangement between the provider and the facility.
Medical necessity is established by the presence of clinically significant findings requiring further evaluation or clarification that warrants additional imaging in the coronary arteries. This is determined by the physician's clinical judgment and must be supported by the patient's clinical presentation, imaging findings, and the overall management plan.
The physician or qualified healthcare professional is responsible for selecting appropriate imaging modality (IVUS or OCT), advancing the catheter into the additional vessel, acquiring and interpreting the images, and preparing a report detailing findings. This involves assessing the vessel's structure, integrity, and any abnormalities detected.
In simple words: This code covers extra imaging tests of heart blood vessels or grafts using special ultrasound or optical technology.It’s only used if a first imaging test (92978) has already been done on a main blood vessel and additional images of other vessels are needed.
This CPT code, 92979, represents endoluminal imaging of an additional coronary vessel or graft using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) or optical coherence tomography (OCT) during diagnostic evaluation and/or therapeutic intervention.It includes imaging supervision, interpretation, and reporting. This code is an add-on and must be reported in conjunction with 92978 (initial vessel imaging) and the primary procedure code.The service includes all transducer manipulations and repositioning within the specific vessel being examined, before and after therapeutic interventions (e.g., stent placement).
Example 1: A patient undergoes PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) on the left anterior descending artery (LAD).After initial stent placement, IVUS/OCT is performed on the LAD (92978).During the procedure, the physician decides to assess a side branch (diagonal branch) and performs IVUS/OCT on this branch (92979)., A patient presents with multivessel coronary artery disease. PCI is performed on the right coronary artery (RCA) with stent placement. Post-intervention IVUS/OCT is done on the RCA (92978). The physician then performs IVUS/OCT on the left circumflex artery (LCX) (92979) before stent placement in the LCX., A patient with a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) requires additional imaging after initial IVUS/OCT (92978).The physician decides to evaluate a new area of concern within the bypass graft itself and performs additional IVUS/OCT (92979) of this segment.
Detailed operative report including the indication for IVUS/OCT, the vessels studied, the findings and interpretation of images, and correlation with the clinical picture. Pre- and post-intervention images should also be documented.
** Appropriate documentation is crucial for proper reimbursement.Payers may deny claims lacking sufficient clinical justification for additional vessel imaging.
- Payment Status: Active
- Modifier TC rule: Modifier TC may be used if only the technical component of the service is reported. Modifier 26 is used when only the professional component is reported.
- Specialties:Cardiology, Cardiovascular Surgery
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Center