X486 – Cardiac gating
OHIP Laboratory Code — MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) · Schedule of Benefits
X486 is a percentage-based premium that increases the fee of an eligible Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) procedure by 30% when cardiac gating is performed. The service must include the application of chest electrodes and electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation.`
When to Use
- Use X486 when performing a cardiac MRI or specific thoracic studies where ECG-gating is required to eliminate motion artifacts from the heartbeat.
- Apply this premium when the technical protocol necessitates the attachment of chest electrodes and the subsequent correlation of the MRI acquisition with the patient's ECG signal.
Common Pitfalls
- Billing X486 without explicit documentation of the ECG interpretation in the report, which is a mandatory requirement for audit compliance.
- Attempting to claim X486 alongside X487 for the same procedure, as these are mutually exclusive technical premiums for MRI gating.
Billing Tips
- Ensure the primary MRI code is submitted on the same claim as X486, as the 30% premium is calculated automatically based on the base fee of the associated imaging code.
Percentage Premium: 0.3%
This code applies a percentage increase to the base procedure fee
Effective: October 1, 2010
F. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
PercentageIncrease
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
The performance of cardiac gating must be documented in the patient's medical record, including the application of chest electrodes and the ECG interpretation.
when cardiac gating is performed (must include application of chest electrodes and ECG interpretation) - add 30%
Ready to bill this code?
SnapBill makes OHIP billing simple — auto-filled codes, validation, and batch submission.