When a bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy of the lung is performed, what is the appropriate code?

The procedure you described involves a bronchoscopy with a transbronchial biopsy of the lung, which is a specific medical intervention. The appropriate coding for this type of procedure falls under the category for bronchoscopy codes in the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding system.

In this context, the correct code to represent a bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy is 31628. This code is specifically designated for the transbronchial biopsy of the lung performed during a bronchoscopy, capturing both the scope of the procedure and the intent of obtaining tissue samples from the lungs for further pathological examination.

Other codes in the range provided represent different types or complexities of bronchoscopy procedures or biopsies. For instance, they might indicate diagnostic procedures without biopsy or different techniques, which do not accurately capture the complete procedure of a bronchoscopy followed by a transbronchial biopsy. Therefore, using the correct code is crucial for accurate medical billing and documentation.