Summary & Overview
CPT 94667: Chest Physical Therapy to Mobilize Lung Secretions
Headline: CPT code 94667: Manual Chest Physical Therapy to Mobilize Lung Secretions
Lead: CPT code 94667 denotes manual chest physical therapy—hands-on airway clearance techniques such as percussion, vibration, and postural drainage—used to mobilize pulmonary secretions. The code captures a common respiratory supportive therapy across acute and post-acute care settings and is relevant for payers and providers managing resource use for patients with retained secretions or impaired cough.
CPT code 94667 matters nationally because it documents a skilled, manual respiratory intervention that impacts clinical outcomes (airway clearance, secretion management) and resource allocation in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient respiratory therapy services. Key payers in the national analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. BUCA is an internal benchmark and is not listed as a payer.
Readers will learn what the code represents, where the service is typically delivered, and the clinical context for use. The publication provides benchmarks and payer coverage summaries where available, notes on coding practices, and policy or reimbursement updates when they apply. Data not available in the input will be identified as such in relevant sections.
Billing Code Overview
CPT code 94667 describes chest physical therapy using manual methods to mobilize lung secretions. The service involves hands-on techniques performed by a qualified provider to aid clearance of respiratory secretions through percussion, vibration, postural drainage, and other manual airway clearance methods.
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Service type: Chest physical therapy (manual airway clearance techniques)
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Typical site of service: Hospital inpatient units, hospital outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care settings, and other facilities where hands-on respiratory therapy is provided.
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Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is an adult or pediatric inpatient or outpatient with retained pulmonary secretions due to neuromuscular weakness, acute or chronic airway disease, or postoperative impairment of cough and mucociliary clearance. Example: a hospitalized 68-year-old man after coronary artery bypass graft surgery with weak cough, bronchial crackles, and increased oxygen requirements receives chest physical therapy comprising manual percussion and vibration, postural drainage, and assisted coughing performed by a respiratory therapist or physical therapist. The clinical workflow includes an initial assessment of respiratory status, auscultation, oxygenation monitoring, informed consent and positioning, delivery of manual chest percussion and vibration to mobilize secretions for 15–30 minutes, reassessment of breath sounds and sputum production, and documentation of technique, duration, patient response, and any adverse events. The service commonly occurs in inpatient hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and ambulatory respiratory therapy clinics. Providers involved typically include respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and physicians who order or supervise the therapy and document medical necessity for the treatment session.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
25 | Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure | Use when an E/M visit is performed on the same day as chest physical therapy and is distinct from the therapy session |