ICD-10-PCS Billable Code

0CHA81Z

Insertion Salivary Gland to No Qualifier with Radioactive Element, Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic Approach

Procedural Specifications

Clinical Axis Detail Definition
Section0 Medical and Surgical
Body SystemC Mouth and Throat
OperationH Insertion
Body PartA Salivary Gland
Approach8 Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic
Device1 Radioactive Element
QualifierZ No Qualifier

Operation Definition

Putting in a nonbiological appliance that monitors, assists, performs, or prevents a physiological function but does not physically take the place of a body part

Procedure Overview

Insertion procedures in the mouth and throat place a nonbiological device into a structure to monitor, assist, or support a physiological function without replacing the body part itself. Examples in this region include placing an airway device to keep the pharynx open, positioning a stent within a salivary duct to keep it patent after stone removal or injury, or inserting a feeding or drainage tube through the mouth or throat for temporary support. These devices are meant to aid an existing structure's function rather than take its place, which distinguishes insertion from procedures that reconstruct or replace tissue. The device typically remains in place for a defined period and is later removed once its purpose - such as keeping a duct open during healing or supporting breathing - has been served.

Anatomy & Axis Detail

Salivary Gland

Insertion into the salivary gland typically refers to placing a device such as a stent or catheter within the ductal system of the parotid, submandibular, or sublingual gland rather than the glandular parenchyma itself, since the gland's secretory tissue has no cavity to hold a device. This approach is used when a duct stricture, sialolithiasis, or post-surgical narrowing threatens salivary outflow, and a temporary stent keeps the duct patent while healing occurs or scar tissue remodels. Documentation should specify laterality (parotid versus submandibular gland) and note whether the device is left indwelling for interventional radiology follow-up or removed at the same encounter, since gland anatomy is paired and coding depends on which gland and side were accessed.

Approach: Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic

Via Natural or Artificial Opening Endoscopic describes instrumentation introduced through a natural orifice or a surgically created opening while using an endoscope for visualization, as in a routine colonoscopy performed through the anus. It differs from the plain Via Natural or Artificial Opening value by the added scope, and from Percutaneous Endoscopic by using an existing passage rather than a new skin puncture.

Device: Radioactive Element

Radioactive Element identifies an implanted radioactive source, such as a brachytherapy seed, left in place to deliver localized therapeutic radiation over time. It is distinguished from other device categories by its therapeutic radioactive function rather than a structural, drainage, or monitoring purpose.

Coding & Documentation

Coders assign Insertion when the documentation describes placing a device such as a stent, tube, or airway appliance into a mouth or throat structure, with the device left in place after the procedure ends. The note should identify the specific device and the target structure, since Insertion is coded to the body part where the device physically sits. A common error is coding placement of a device meant to replace a body part's function, such as a prosthesis, as Insertion when Replacement is the correct root operation instead; the deciding factor is whether the device merely assists or monitors (Insertion) versus physically takes the place of the structure (Replacement). Coders should also avoid conflating temporary intraoperative packing or instruments with a coded insertion, since only devices left in place at the end of the procedure qualify.

Commonly Confused With

ReplacementInsertion is most often confused with Replacement, since both involve placing material into the body, but Replacement substitutes for all or part of a body part while Insertion leaves the native structure intact and simply adds a device to assist it.
DrainageIt can also be confused with Drainage when a tube is placed specifically to remove fluid, in which case the procedure is coded to Drainage with a device value rather than as a standalone Insertion.
ChangeCoders should further distinguish Insertion from Change, which applies only when an existing device is swapped out through the same external opening without a new procedural approach.