Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Compensation Crisis Related To The Onsite Adequacy Evaluation During Fna Procedures-Urgent Proactive Input From Cytopathology Community Is Critical To Establish Appropriate Reimbursement For Cpt Code 88172 (Or Its New Counterpart If Introduced In The Future), Inderpreet Dhillon, Martha B. Pitman, Richard M. Demay, Pamela Archuletta, Vinod B. Shidham

Department of Pathology

The confusion centered around appropriate use of the CPT billing code 88172 is addressed in the commentary from the Economic and Government Affairs Committee of the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) who have written a timely commentary in this issue of Cytojournal,“Adequate Reimbursement is Crucial to Support Cost-Effective Rapid Onsite Cytopathology Evaluations”. Currently, lack of standardized use within and between pathology departments is stirring unhealthy practices of denying reimbursements for this critical and legitimate cytopathology service. This editorial discusses the important concerns raised in this commentary and recommends immediate corrective action. (See also Al-Abbadi MA, et al. Adequate reimbursement is …

Preparation And Using Phantom Lesions To Practice Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies, Vinod B. Shidham, George M. Varsegi, Krista D’Amore, Anjani Shidham

Department of Pathology

Currently, health workers including residents and fellows do not have a suitable phantom model to practice the fine- needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) procedure. In the past, we standardized a model consisting of latex glove containing fresh cattle liver for practicing FNAB. However, this model is difficult to organize and prepare on short notice, with the procurement of fresh cattle liver being the most challenging aspect. Handling of liver with contamination-related problems is also a significant draw back. In addition, the glove material leaks after a few needle passes, with resulting mess.

We have established a novel simple method of embedding …