- July 2, 2025
- Posted by: Josh Knoll
- Category: Cardiology Billing
Listen to your heart—it’s good advice, primarily if you work in cardiology. But fixing the heart is one thing. Billing for it is a whole different story. It becomes even more challenging with hybrid procedures. That’s when surgeons and cardiologists work together in the same room to save lives. It’s a mix of surgery and interventional work, all in one go. Imagine cutting, stitching, catheters, stents, and wires—all happening in a special room called a hybrid OR.
It’s like a cath lab and an operating room rolled into one. For example, a patient might get a bypass on one artery and a stent in another during the same procedure. Or, they may need valve repair that uses both surgical and catheter techniques. Hybrid procedures help patients recover faster with fewer risks. Hybrid procedures sound cool. But when it’s time to code and bill, the cool factor disappears. Why? Because billing rules for surgery and interventional cardiology are different. And hybrid procedures mash them together.
But for billing teams? It means more codes, more rules, and probably more coffee for them, especially when you do not have a professional cardiology billing company by your side!
Challenging Cardiology Billing Factors for Hybrid Procedures
Billing for hybrid heart procedures can be complex. First, there are often two providers—a cardiologist and a heart surgeon. Both may bill separately, but only for the work they actually perform. If this isn’t clear, claims get denied fast.
Then comes the global period confusion. Surgery has a global period—like 10, 30, or 90 days—where follow-up is included in the payment. But interventional procedures? Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Mix them together, and billing gets confusing. Next comes coding. You can’t simply throw in a surgery code and a stent code. You must pick the right CPT codes for each part. Modifiers like 62 (for co-surgery) are often needed. Plus, every insurance company has its own set of rules. Finally, documentation must be perfect. If notes are unclear, coders get stuck. And payers? They usually deny the claim first and ask questions later. That’s why clean, detailed records are key.
What we have discussed above are some of the common challenges that you may face when handling your billing job, but there are many other challenges that you can face without a cardiology billing company.
The good thing is that you can still improve your billing practice by knowing about the common codes and modifiers used in cardiology billing for hybrid procedures.
Related Reading: How to Spot the Right Cardiology Billing Company
Common Codes and Modifiers in Hybrid Procedures
Hybrid cardiology billing often uses common codes and modifiers. For example, 33533-33536 covers bypass surgery, 92928 is for stent placement, 33361-33369 for valve replacements, and 93458-93461 for heart catheter tests. Modifiers help, too. Use 62 if two surgeons work together, 59 to separate bundled services, 22 for complex cases, and AS if a physician assistant is involved. But be careful with Modifier 59—payers watch it closely. Overusing it is like saying “just kidding” after a foul joke—it doesn’t always work.
Unfortunately, most cardiology practices do not have an experienced billing team to handle all the nuances of billing and coding. Are you one of them? You can simply get rid of all the billing hassles of hybrid cardiology procedures by teaming up with a reputed cardiology billing company like SunKnowledge Inc.
Related Reading: Unlocking Success in Cardiology Billing with Sunknowledge Services
SunKnowledge: The Perfect Cardiology Billing Company for You
We, at SunKnowledge, make your cardiology billing worries disappear—kind of like how a good hybrid procedure makes heart problems disappear. We offer boutique RCM services, tailored exactly to your needs. Whether it’s prior authorization, coding, claim submission, denial management, payment posting, claim scrubbing, or even handling your accounts receivable, we do it all.
Need help beyond billing? Our virtual assistant services have your back, too. And the best part is, we offer free transition, a dedicated account manager, and can cut your collection costs by up to 80% – all at just $7 an hour with no hidden charges. And yes, when it comes to accurate coding and immaculate billing, we know our way around 35+ specialties, like very few other RCM companies do.
Trust us with billing for your hybrid cardiology procedures (and your peace of mind). With SunKnowledge, your RCM is in safe, capable hands!