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Computed tomography (CT) of the thoracic spine is a diagnostic imaging procedure that utilizes advanced X-ray technology to create detailed images of the thoracic region of the spine. This procedure employs multiple, narrow X-ray beams that rotate around a single axis, capturing a series of two-dimensional images from various angles. The absence of contrast material in CPT® Code 72128 means that the images are generated solely based on the natural density differences of the tissues within the thoracic spine, without the enhancement that contrast agents provide. The resulting images are thin, cross-sectional slices that can be stacked to form three-dimensional models of the spine, allowing for a comprehensive view of the anatomical structures. During the procedure, the patient is positioned on a table that slides into the CT scanner, where the imaging takes place. The physician analyzes these images to identify potential issues such as bone diseases, fractures, injuries, or congenital anomalies in the spine, particularly in pediatric patients. This non-invasive imaging technique is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning in various spinal conditions.
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The procedure is indicated for various conditions and symptoms related to the thoracic spine. These include:
The procedure involves several key steps to ensure accurate imaging of the thoracic spine.
Post-procedure care for a CT scan of the thoracic spine without contrast is generally minimal, as the procedure is non-invasive and does not involve the use of contrast material. Patients may resume normal activities immediately following the scan. However, they should be informed about any specific instructions or follow-up appointments based on the findings of the imaging. If any abnormalities are detected, the physician will discuss the results with the patient and recommend further evaluation or treatment as necessary.
| Short Descr | CT CHEST SPINE W/O DYE | Medium Descr | CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | Long Descr | Computed tomography, thoracic spine; without contrast material | Status Code | Active Code | Global Days | XXX - Global Concept Does Not Apply | PC/TC Indicator (26, TC) | 1 - Diagnostic Tests for Radiology Services | Multiple Procedures (51) | 4 - Special payment adjustment rules on the technical component (TC) of multiple diagnostic imaging procedures apply... | Bilateral Surgery (50) | 0 - 150% payment adjustment for bilateral procedures does NOT apply. | Physician Supervisions | 09 - Concept does not apply. | Assistant Surgeon (80, 82) | 0 - Payment restriction for assistants at surgery applies to this procedure... | Co-Surgeons (62) | 0 - Co-surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Team Surgery (66) | 0 - Team surgeons not permitted for this procedure. | Diagnostic Imaging Family | 88 - | APC Status Indicator | Codes That May Be Paid Through a Composite APC | ASC Payment Indicator | Radiology service paid separately when provided integral to a surgical procedure on ASC list; payment based on OPPS relative payment weight. | Type of Service (TOS) | 4 - Diagnostic Radiology | Berenson-Eggers TOS (BETOS) | I2B - Advanced imaging - CAT/CT/CTA: other | MUE | 1 | CCS Clinical Classification | 180 - Other CT scan |
This is a primary code that can be used with these additional add-on codes.
| 0722T | Add On Code MPFS Status: Carrier Priced APC S Quantitative computed tomography (CT) tissue characterization, including interpretation and report, obtained with concurrent CT examination of any structure contained in the concurrently acquired diagnostic imaging dataset (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure) |
| 26 | Professional component: certain procedures are a combination of a physician or other qualified health care professional component and a technical component. when the physician or other qualified health care professional component is reported separately, the service may be identified by adding modifier 26 to the usual procedure number. | 51 | Multiple procedures: when multiple procedures, other than e/m services, physical medicine and rehabilitation services or provision of supplies (eg, vaccines), are performed at the same session by the same individual, the primary procedure or service may be reported as listed. the additional procedure(s) or service(s) may be identified by appending modifier 51 to the additional procedure or service code(s). note: this modifier should not be appended to designated "add-on" codes (see appendix d). | X5 | Diagnostic services requested by another clinician: for reporting services by a clinician who furnishes care to the patient only as requested by another clinician or subsequent and related services requested by another clinician; this modifier is reported for patient relationships that may not be adequately captured by the above alternative categories; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the radiologist's interpretation of an imaging study requested by another clinician | GC | This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician | MG | The order for this service does not have applicable appropriate use criteria in the qualified clinical decision support mechanism consulted by the ordering professional | ME | The order for this service adheres to appropriate use criteria in the clinical decision support mechanism consulted by the ordering professional | MH | Unknown if ordering professional consulted a clinical decision support mechanism for this service, related information was not provided to the furnishing professional or provider | TC | Technical component; under certain circumstances, a charge may be made for the technical component alone; under those circumstances the technical component charge is identified by adding modifier 'tc' to the usual procedure number; technical component charges are institutional charges and not billed separately by physicians; however, portable x-ray suppliers only bill for technical component and should utilize modifier tc; the charge data from portable x-ray suppliers will then be used to build customary and prevailing profiles | MA | Ordering professional is not required to consult a clinical decision support mechanism due to service being rendered to a patient with a suspected or confirmed emergency medical condition | GW | Service not related to the hospice patient's terminal condition | Q6 | Service furnished under a fee-for-time compensation arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | Ordering professional consulted a qualified clinical decision support mechanism for this service and the related data was provided to the furnishing professional | 52 | Reduced services: under certain circumstances a service or procedure is partially reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the physician or other qualified health care professional. under these circumstances the service provided can be identified by its usual procedure number and the addition of modifier 52, signifying that the service is reduced. this provides a means of reporting reduced services without disturbing the identification of the basic service. note: for hospital outpatient reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well-being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | XE | Separate encounter, a service that is distinct because it occurred during a separate encounter | XS | Separate structure, a service that is distinct because it was performed on a separate organ/structure | 77 | Repeat procedure by another physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a basic procedure or service was repeated by another physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 77 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | 59 | Distinct procedural service: under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other non-e/m services performed on the same day. modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services, other than e/m services, that are not normally reported together, but are appropriate under the circumstances. documentation must support a different session, different procedure or surgery, different site or organ system, separate incision/excision, separate lesion, or separate injury (or area of injury in extensive injuries) not ordinarily encountered or performed on the same day by the same individual. however, when another already established modifier is appropriate it should be used rather than modifier 59. only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used. note: modifier 59 should not be appended to an e/m service. to report a separate and distinct e/m service with a non-e/m service performed on the same date, see modifier 25. | GV | Attending physician not employed or paid under arrangement by the patient's hospice provider | X4 | Episodic/focused services: for reporting services by clinicians who provide focused care on particular types of treatment limited to a defined period and circumstance; the patient has a problem, acute or chronic, that will be treated with surgery, radiation, or some other type of generally time-limited intervention; reporting clinician service examples include but are not limited to, the orthopedic surgeon performing a knee replacement and seeing the patient through the postoperative period | MC | Ordering professional is not required to consult a clinical decision support mechanism due to the significant hardship exception of electronic health record or clinical decision support mechanism vendor issues | MF | The order for this service does not adhere to the appropriate use criteria in the clinical decision support mechanism consulted by the ordering professional | 76 | Repeat procedure or service by same physician or other qualified health care professional: it may be necessary to indicate that a procedure or service was repeated by the same physician or other qualified health care professional subsequent to the original procedure or service. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 76 to the repeated procedure or service. note: this modifier should not be appended to an e/m service. | AQ | Physician providing a service in an unlisted health professional shortage area (hpsa) | CR | Catastrophe/disaster related | CT | Computed tomography services furnished using equipment that does not meet each of the attributes of the national electrical manufacturers association (nema) xr-29-2013 standard | GA | Waiver of liability statement issued as required by payer policy, individual case | GQ | Via asynchronous telecommunications system | U6 | Medicaid level of care 6, as defined by each state | XP | Separate practitioner, a service that is distinct because it was performed by a different practitioner | XU | Unusual non-overlapping service, the use of a service that is distinct because it does not overlap usual components of the main service | 53 | Discontinued procedure: under certain circumstances, the physician or other qualified health care professional may elect to terminate a surgical or diagnostic procedure. due to extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well being of the patient, it may be necessary to indicate that a surgical or diagnostic procedure was started but discontinued. this circumstance may be reported by adding modifier 53 to the code reported by the individual for the discontinued procedure. note: this modifier is not used to report the elective cancellation of a procedure prior to the patient's anesthesia induction and/or surgical preparation in the operating suite. for outpatient hospital/ambulatory surgery center (asc) reporting of a previously scheduled procedure/service that is partially reduced or cancelled as a result of extenuating circumstances or those that threaten the well being of the patient prior to or after administration of anesthesia, see modifiers 73 and 74 (see modifiers approved for asc hospital outpatient use). | 79 | Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician or other qualified health care professional during the postoperative period: the individual may need to indicate that the performance of a procedure or service during the postoperative period was unrelated to the original procedure. this circumstance may be reported by using modifier 79. (for repeat procedures on the same day, see modifier 76.) | 96 | Habilitative services: when a service or procedure that may be either habilitative or rehabilitative in nature is provided for habilitative purposes, the physician or other qualified health care professional may add modifier 96 to the service or procedure code to indicate that the service or procedure provided was a habilitative service. habilitative services help an individual learn skills and functioning for daily living that the individual has not yet developed, and then keep and/or improve those learned skills. habilitative services also help an individual keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living. | CC | Procedure code change (use 'cc' when the procedure code submitted was changed either for administrative reasons or because an incorrect code was filed) | ET | Emergency services | FY | X-ray taken using computed radiography technology/cassette-based imaging | GY | Item or service statutorily excluded, does not meet the definition of any medicare benefit or, for non-medicare insurers, is not a contract benefit | GZ | Item or service expected to be denied as not reasonable and necessary | LT | Left side (used to identify procedures performed on the left side of the body) | MB | Ordering professional is not required to consult a clinical decision support mechanism due to the significant hardship exception of insufficient internet access | MD | Ordering professional is not required to consult a clinical decision support mechanism due to the significant hardship exception of extreme and uncontrollable circumstances | PD | Diagnostic or related non diagnostic item or service provided in a wholly owned or operated entity to a patient who is admitted as an inpatient within 3 days | Q0 | Investigational clinical service provided in a clinical research study that is in an approved clinical research study | Q1 | Routine clinical service provided in a clinical research study that is in an approved clinical research study | Q5 | Service furnished under a reciprocal billing arrangement by a substitute physician or by a substitute physical therapist furnishing outpatient physical therapy services in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area | QJ | Services/items provided to a prisoner or patient in state or local custody, however the state or local government, as applicable, meets the requirements in 42 cfr 411.4 (b) | RT | Right side (used to identify procedures performed on the right side of the body) |
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| 2003-01-01 | Changed | Code description changed. |
| Pre-1990 | Added | Code added. |
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