Is an initial dilation a once in a lifetime procedure for patients with urethral strictures?
A. No, there are no specific rules for billing of the initial dilation of the urethra and the subsequent dilation of the urethra. The codes for these procedures are: 53600 Dilation of urethral stricture by passage of sound or urethral dilator, male; initial 53601 subsequent 53620 Dilation of urethral stricture by passage of filiform and follower, male; initial 53621 subsequent 53660 Dilation of urethra including suppository and/or instillation; initial 53661 subsequent The proper way to code for the subsequent dilation is based on the timed dilation determined by the urologist. There is no certain amount of time to bill for the subsequent dilation but based on how the dilation will occur, what needs to be done to complete the dilation and when the dilation needs to be performed to increase the size the urethra. If the urologist plans on dilating the patient every week (or every month) using a different sized dilator, then the initial code is billed for the first dilation and then a sub
