HAP Radiology Billing and Coding Blog

In our recent article on reimbursement for using artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology, Sandy Coffta mentioned the possibility of new codes proposed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and other imaging societies. One of those new codes was approved and released on July 1, 2021, for use beginning January 1, 2022. HCPCS[1] Level II code 0691T (CPT[2] Category III) will apply to the use of AI for automated analysis of existing CT studies for vertebral fracture(s), including assessment of bone density when performed, data preparation, interpretation, and reporting.

In an article published in the online Journal of the American College of Radiology1, authors from Duke University Medical Center Department of Radiology present a study conducted to demonstrate the variability and complexity of radiologists’ dictated notes. The authors chose to analyze the language used to describe normal thyroid glands in chest CT reports as a “surrogate for the broader readability of radiology reports”. In a sample of nearly seven thousand non-contrast chest CT reports, the researchers found 342 unique sentences or phrases describing a normal thyroid gland. Furthermore, linguistic analysis suggested that descriptors for a normal thyroid gland require an advanced college-level education for comprehension. This text is well above the national average health literacy level and results in reports that are difficult for patients to understand.2