Coming Soon to CDT 2017:
The Code We Have All Been Asking For...

There has never been a specific CDT code to report the treatment of patients with moderate or severe gingival inflammation and no attachment loss, until now. CDT 2017 will introduce a new code for this purpose!

D4346 Scaling in presence of generalized moderate or severe gingival inflammation – full mouth, after oral evaluation

Without such a code, numerous claims have been submitted with inappropriate coding, reporting scaling and root planing with no evidence of bone loss or loss of attachment. Currently, a patient who presents with moderate to severe bleeding, swollen and inflamed gingiva tissue, and suprabony pocketing with no evidence of bone loss is typically treated with two prophylaxis (D1110) visits.

The Code Maintenance Committee (CMC) recognized this gap in coding and formed a work group dedicated to finding a solution. The result is a new “difficult prophylaxis” code for CDT 2017.

Check out this issue’s online only article, “New Scaling Code in CDT 2017,” to clarify the goal and purpose of this new code. This article will provide insight into the proper way to apply the code, explain the documentation requirements, and discuss the potential for insurance reimbursement.