Summary & Overview
CPT 1024T: Percutaneous Image-Guided Soft-Tissue Displacement, Add-On
CPT code 1024T denotes an image-guided, percutaneous soft-tissue displacement performed as an add-on to a primary procedure. The add-on service is used when the provider needs to move or protect surrounding soft tissues so the principal intervention can proceed safely, typically in settings that perform minimally invasive and image-guided procedures. Nationally, clear reporting of add-on maneuvers like 1024T matters for accurate procedure documentation, appropriate bundling and facility billing, and clinical quality measurement.
Key payers addressed include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find an overview of the code’s clinical intent and common sites of service, plus context for billing practice: whether the service is reported in addition to a primary procedure, how imaging guidance is described in the code narrative, and implications for facility versus professional claims. The publication also outlines typical analyses covered: benchmarking of utilization patterns across major payers, policy and coverage considerations that affect add-on code adjudication, and clinical scenarios where the add-on is commonly employed. Data not available in the input will be noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 1024T is an add-on percutaneous soft-tissue displacement using imaging guidance. As an add-on to a primary procedure, the provider moves soft tissue aside via a percutaneous approach and uses imaging guidance to ensure safe and accurate displacement so the main procedure can be performed without damaging surrounding tissue.
-
Service type: Image-guided percutaneous soft-tissue displacement as an add-on service to a primary procedure
-
Typical site of service: Ambulatory surgical center or hospital outpatient setting where image-guided percutaneous procedures are performed
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A patient presents for a minimally invasive procedure in which the attending provider needs to displace or tent adjacent soft tissue to create a safe working corridor for a primary percutaneous intervention. Typical scenarios include percutaneous tumor ablation, vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty adjunct maneuvers, or percutaneous drainage where nearby neurovascular or visceral structures must be moved aside under imaging guidance. The workflow begins with pre-procedure imaging review and consent, patient positioning in an interventional radiology or ambulatory surgery suite, sterile preparation, and local anesthesia with conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care as appropriate. Under fluoroscopy, CT, or ultrasound guidance the provider advances a percutaneous instrument to engage and carefully retract or move soft tissue out of the operative field while continuously imaging to verify safe displacement. After the displacement is achieved, the primary procedure (for example ablation probe placement, cement delivery, or drain insertion) is performed. The add-on displacement maneuver is billed in conjunction with the primary procedure on the same date of service.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
25 | Significant, Separately Identifiable Evaluation and Management Service by the Same Physician on the Day of a Procedure | Use when a separately identifiable E/M is performed and documented the same day as the primary procedure. |
59 | Distinct Procedural Service | Use to indicate a distinct procedural service when the displacement is separate from the primary procedure and not typically bundled. |
XU | Unusual Non-Overlapping Service | Use when the displacement is distinct and not ordinarily performed with the primary procedure. |
XS | Separate Structure | Use when procedures are performed on different anatomic sites or structures. |
GS | Outpatient Clinical Team Services | Use when services are part of a Part B outpatient prospective payment system and provided in an outpatient setting by a clinical team. |
KX | Requirements Specified in the Medical Policy Are Met | Use when documentation supports medical necessity per payer-specific policy. |
RT | Right Side | Use to designate the right side when laterality is required by the primary procedure. |
LT | Left Side | Use to designate the left side when laterality is required by the primary procedure. |
76 | Repeat Procedure by Same Physician | Use when the displacement maneuver is repeated by the same physician subsequent to the initial attempt on the same day. |
77 | Repeat Procedure by Another Physician | Use when the displacement maneuver is repeated by a different physician on the same day. |
91 | Repeat Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory Test | Generally not applicable to this procedure; included for completeness when lab repeats accompany the procedure. |
| Taxonomy Code | Specialty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
207Q00000X | Interventional Radiology | Most common specialty performing image-guided percutaneous displacement adjuncts. |
207K00000X | Vascular Surgery | Performs image-guided percutaneous interventions where soft tissue displacement may be required. |
208W00000X | Orthopedic Surgery (Spine) | Performs percutaneous spine procedures that may need tissue displacement adjuncts. |
362K00000X | Radiology | Diagnostic and interventional radiologists who assist with imaging guidance during the maneuver. |
2080P0003X | General Surgery | Performs percutaneous abdominal or soft-tissue interventions requiring displacement adjuncts. |
Related Diagnoses
| ICD-10 Code | Description | Clinical Relevance |
|---|---|---|
M84.451A | Pathological fracture, right femur, initial encounter for fracture | May be associated with percutaneous augmentation procedures where tissue displacement prevents soft-tissue injury. |
M84.452A | Pathological fracture, left femur, initial encounter for fracture | Same relevance for left-sided pathologic fractures requiring percutaneous access. |
K63.5 | Polyp of colon | During percutaneous or transmural interventions, adjacent bowel may need displacement to protect from thermal or mechanical injury. |
N13.2 | Hydronephrosis with renal and ureteral calculous obstruction | Percutaneous nephrostomy or drainage procedures may require soft-tissue displacement adjuncts. |
C61 | Malignant neoplasm of prostate | Percutaneous ablation of pelvic lesions may require displacement of adjacent soft tissue to protect neurovascular structures. |
M48.06 | Spinal stenosis, thoracic region | Percutaneous spine procedures may use soft-tissue displacement to create a safe working corridor for instrumentation. |
D49.Z9 | Neoplasm of uncertain behavior of other and unspecified sites | Percutaneous tumor ablation procedures commonly use adjunctive displacement to protect surrounding tissues. |
S32.009A | Unspecified fracture of lumbar vertebra, initial encounter for closed fracture | Percutaneous vertebral procedures may require soft-tissue displacement to avoid neural or visceral injury. |
Related CPT Codes
| CPT Code | Description | Relationship to This Procedure |
|---|---|---|
50592 | Percutaneous nephrostomy catheter placement, with or without injection; with dilation and internal/ external catheter placement | May be the primary procedure where soft tissue displacement is performed to avoid injury to adjacent viscera or bowel. |
47021 | Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), percutaneous, including radiological supervision and interpretation; (separate procedures) | May require tissue displacement adjuncts during percutaneous access to protect adjacent structures. |
52287 | Cystoscopy, with dilation of ureteral orifice and/or placement of ureteral stent, bilateral | When percutaneous access is used for urologic interventions, displacement may facilitate safe tract creation. |
50590 | Percutaneous nephrostomy, catheter placement, with or without injection; without dilation | Primary percutaneous drainage procedures where soft tissue displacement may be an adjunct. |
22510 | Percutaneous vertebral augmentation, including cavity creation (e.g., kyphoplasty) | Often performed with adjunctive maneuvers to move soft tissues or neural elements to provide a safe path for instrumentation. |