Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy  

The following coding and billing instructions should be followed for providers submitting claims for robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy:

• The robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy should be coded as 55899. It should be billed at the same fee as 55866. You must enter a narrative in Item 19 of the CMS-1500 form or the electronic equivalent stating, “robot-assisted prostatectomy” or “robot-assisted prostatectomy with nerve graft,” depending on whether the nerve graft was also performed. The narrative should be exactly as indicated here.
• The bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, if performed, should be billed as 38571. Do not use a -50 modifier, since the service is described as a bilateral service. It should be billed at 50 percent since it will be subject to the multiple surgery reduction.
• The nerve graft, if performed, should be billed as 64999. It should be billed at 50 percent of the fee for 64905, since it will be subject to the multiple surgery reduction.
• All services must be billed on the same claim.

© All current procedural terminology (CPT) codes and descriptors copyrighted by the American Medical Association.