Coding for MRI that includes the brachial plexus

Q.

What CPT^® code would be reported for an MRI of the brachial plexus?

A.

There is no specific code for MRI brachial plexus. You would bill according to what was actually imaged and the reasoning as to why. According to the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Radiology (ACR), as well as multiple published Q&As, an MRI of the chest (codes 71550–71552) focusing on the brachial plexus is commonly used in cases of apical lung cancers (i.e., Pancoast tumors), while an MRI of the orbit, face, and neck (codes 70540–70543) might be used to identify head and neck cancers to the level of the thyroid, including the brachial plexus, and an evaluation of a tumor of the shoulder girdle or axilla, including the brachial plexus region, an MRI of the upper extremity (codes 73218–73223) is appropriate. See CPT Assistant, September 2010, and Clinical Examples in Radiology, Summer 2013.