Aortic valve repair and aortic valve replacement may be done through traditional open-heart surgery, which involves a cut (incision) in the chest, or by using minimally invasive methods, which involve smaller incisions in the chest or a catheter inserted in the leg or chest (transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR).
Who is at risk of Aortic Stenosis? Aortic stenosis mainly affects older people, and onset starts at around 60, but is more likely to develop in the 70s or the 80s. Children with congenital heart defects can develop aortic stenosis when only two cusps grow, instead of the normal three. This is a bicuspid aortic valve.
Your aortic valve is one of two semilunar valves. Semilunar valves connect your heart ventricles (lower chambers) and arteries. Semilunar valves get their name from the crescent moon shape of the flaps that make up the valve.
They include:
TAVR claims with dates of service on and after January 1, 2014, shall instead use permanent CPT code 33366.
TAVR ICD-10-CM DIAGNOSIS CODING The principal diagnosis coding for TAVR patients is standard. These patients are all being treated for aortic valve stenosis. I35. 0 is normally always coded as principal.
2 Presence of prosthetic heart valve.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a procedure that replaces a diseased aortic valve with a man-made valve. Aortic valve replacement can also be performed with open-heart surgery; this procedure is surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).
In this procedure, surgeons insert a catheter into the leg or chest and guide it to the heart. A replacement valve is inserted through the catheter and guided to the heart. A balloon is expanded to press the valve into place. Some TAVR valves are self-expanding.
semilunar valvesThe normal human heart contains 4 valves that regulate blood flow into and out of the heart. The aortic and pulmonic valves are known as the semilunar valves, whereas the tricuspid and mitral valves are referred to as the atrioventricular valves.
Artificial heart valves are often known as mechanical heart valves and made from metallic alloys or plastic materials. In bioprosthetic heart valves, the valve tissue is typically from an animal species and mounted on a frame, known as a bioprosthesis.
Bioprosthetic valves are generally made of either bovine pericardium or porcine aortic valves, but may also be produced from equine or porcine pericardium. The advantage of these bioprosthetic valves is that they do not require life-long anticoagulation.
The most common mechanical valve is the bileaflet valve introduced in 1977 [15]. Mechanical valve prostheses are usually recommended for patients aged under 60 years, because these prostheses are durable with the potential to last over 20 years and often do not require replacement surgeries [16–18].
Stanford surgeons are now using a minimally invasive, catheter-based treatment to replace damaged valves. Called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, the approach can be used in patients who are at high or moderate risk of developing complications if they undergo traditional surgery.
TAVI stands for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. The procedure and its approaches are the same as TAVR. Your doctor may use the terms interchangeably when discussing your treatment options.
An aortic valve replacement is a type of open heart surgery used to treat problems with the heart's aortic valve. The aortic valve controls the flow of blood out from the heart to the rest of the body.
As per American Medical Association (AMA) requirements for TAVR, TAVR is a two-physician (IC & CS) procedure. Payment for each physician is 62.5% of the established national average payment. +33367,33368 and 33369 are add-on codes which do not require modifier 62 hence each physician payment of 62.5% does not apply.
The most common reason to undergo TAVR is if you have aortic stenosis, which is narrowing the aortic valve or the area around it. That narrowing is usually due to calcium buildup on the valve and age-related wear and tear (especially if you're over age 70). It can also happen because of other health conditions.
These Zooplastic Aortic valves are widely used in Rapid deployment aortic valve replacement (RDAVR) and emerged as an attractive alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement because these are sutureless and facilitates quick implantation.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will cover Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) for the treatment of symptomatic aortic valve stenosis through Coverage with Evidence Development (CED).
Each ICD-10-PCS code has a structure of seven alphanumeric characters and contains no decimals . The first character defines the major "section". Depending on the "section" the second through seventh characters mean different things.
The ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) is a catalog of procedural codes used by medical professionals for hospital inpatient healthcare settings. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain the catalog in the U.S. releasing yearly updates. These 2022 ICD-10-PCS codes are to be used for discharges occurring from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.
The procedure code 02RF38Z is in the medical and surgical section and is part of the heart and great vessels body system, classified under the replacement operation. The applicable bodypart is aortic valve.
Each ICD-10-PCS code has a structure of seven alphanumeric characters and contains no decimals . The first character defines the major "section". Depending on the "section" the second through seventh characters mean different things.
The ICD-10 Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) is a catalog of procedural codes used by medical professionals for hospital inpatient healthcare settings. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) maintain the catalog in the U.S. releasing yearly updates. These 2021 ICD-10-PCS codes are to be used for discharges occurring from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
Physicians use ICD-10 CM codes for diagnoses and CPT codes for procedures, regardless of whether the setting is inpatient or outpatient. The ICD-10 CM diagnosis codes are used for claims adjudication. However, for determining Medicare payment, only the CPT procedure codes are used. For Medicare, physician reimbursement is under the RBRVS system. Each CPT code is assigned a unique relative value unit, which is then converted into the payment amount. Medicare has used RBRVS for physician reimbursement since 1992.
Hospitals assign ICD-10 codes for both diagnoses and procedures for inpatient admissions. For Medicare, inpatient hospital reimbursement is under the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRG) system. For each admission, the ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes are grouped into one of over 750 MS-DRGs. Regardless of the number of codes, only one MS-DRG is assigned to the admission. Each MS-DRG has a unique relative weight, which is then converted into the payment amount. Medicare has used the DRG system for hospital inpatient reimbursement since 1983.
The principal diagnosis coding for TAVR patients is standard. These patients are all being treated for aortic valve stenosis. I35.0 is normally always coded as principal.
TAVR is a transcatheter surgical procedure in which an aortic valve replacement is performed without removing the damaged native valve. In simple terms, it is similar to stent placement in that a fully collapsible valve is inserted through a catheter followed by the use of an angioplasty balloon to expand and seat the new valve. Once the new valve is seated, it pushes the old valve leaflets out of the way and the new valve takes control of the blood flow.
These separate charges include, moderate sedation and peripheral arterial/venous Cardiopulmonary bypass. Peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass would be charged as either Percutaneous (33367) or Open (33368) bypass support. Although it is highly unlikely, it is possible to report a separate and distinct diagnostic cardiac catheterization and/or coronary angiogram during a TAVR patient encounter. CAUTION: It would be highly unlikely for a patient to undergo a valve replacement without having a prior diagnostic cardiac cath. If the patient has already had a diagnostic cardiac catheterization it is not permitted to charge for a repeated cath during the TAVR.
The clinical staff selection of the correct TAVR charge is a critical element in the hospitals’ documentation and reimbursement process. As inpatient procedures, the TAVR/TAVI charges are set up in the Chargemaster as a soft-coded charge, meaning the actual CPT code is not attached to the charge. When necessary, the CPT code will be attached to the charge by the coder. When performed in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, TAVR is usually reported as a single all-inclusive procedure charge. The charge includes virtually everything required to implant the valve successfully. This includes access, catheter placements, valve deployment, angiography during and after the procedure, arteriotomy closure, balloon valvuloplasty and a temporary pacemaker.
TAVR is covered for the treatment of symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. However it is only covered when provided under a specific clinical trial in a hospital that has been pre-certified as a Medicare Approved TAVR/TAVI Facility.
CAUTION: It would be highly unlikely for a patient to undergo a valve replacement without having a prior diagnostic cardiac cath.
Replacement of Superior Vena Cava with Zooplastic Tissue, Open Approach
Replacement of Right Pulmonary Artery with Zooplastic Tissue, Open Approach
Replacement of Left Pulmonary Vein with Zooplastic Tissue, Open Approach
For your example of aortic regurgitation (insufficiency) and aortic stenosis, I would recommend ICD-10 code I35.2 Nonrheumatic aortic (valve) stenosis with insufficiency provided there is no documentation of rheumatic valve disease. You may see the abbreviation of MAVD in your note. This is defined as Mixed Aortic Valve Disease, regurgitation and stenosis combined. Regardless of FDA approval of a new valve, the ICD-10 diagnosis codes would be applied as they always have been.
Codes 33361, 33362, 33363, 33364, 33365, 33366 include the work, when performed, of percutaneous access, placing the access sheath, balloon aortic valvuloplasty, advancing the valve delivery system into position, repositioning the valve as needed, deploying the valve, temporary pacemaker insertion for rapid pacing (33210), and closure of the arteriotomy when performed. Codes 33361, 33362, 33363, 33364, 33365, 33366 include open arterial or cardiac approach.
There is a CPT instruction section in advance of the TAVR CPT codes, 33361-33366, that describes how to use these codes. This procedure requires two surgeons and both surgeons will report the same CPT code with the -62 modifier. From the CPT manual:
Angiography, radiological supervision, and interpretation performed to guide TAVR/TAVI (eg, guiding valve placement, documenting completion of the intervention, assessing the vascular access site for closure) are included in these codes.