# Interventional Radiology - code bilateral



## vdivakar (Jun 7, 2012)

How do you code bilateral adrenal vein sampling?


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## dpeoples (Jun 7, 2012)

vdivakar said:


> How do you code bilateral adrenal vein sampling?



36500/75893 x2 
modifiers are somewhat dependent on payor preference, I use 76 instead of 50 or RT/LT

HTH


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## Lynda Wetter (Jun 7, 2012)

Can i ask why you would you modifier 76??


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## jmcpolin (Jun 7, 2012)

I would code 36500, 36500-59   75893 75893-59  due to different locations and I don't think that the 50 or RT LT modifiers are allowed.


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## dpeoples (Jun 7, 2012)

DnLJD0515 said:


> Can i ask why you would you modifier 76??




Payor preference.

HTH


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## donnajrichmond (Jun 7, 2012)

dpeoples said:


> Payor preference.
> 
> HTH



Danny's right - there is no consistency among payers concerning modifiers - even different Medicare contractors. 
For instance, I almost never use 76 because I "grew up" as a coder in Louisiana where the Louisiana Medicare contractor has this definition - "76 -A repeated procedure by the same physician on the same patient, same date, same exact body site. ALL of the listed criteria MUST be met before ‘76' is appropriate."
By that definition, I couldn't use -76 in this situation for Medicare.  
But other payers would insist on it.  
Same with modifier 50 for bilateral.  For years AMA said that -50 should not be used on radiology 70000 codes but many Medicare payers had policies that listed codes that must use -50 if bilaterals were done and they included 70000 codes.


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## Lynda Wetter (Jun 7, 2012)

donnajrichmond said:


> Danny's right - there is no consistency among payers concerning modifiers - even different Medicare contractors.
> For instance, I almost never use 76 because I "grew up" as a coder in Louisiana where the Louisiana Medicare contractor has this definition - "76 -A repeated procedure by the same physician on the same patient, same date, same exact body site. ALL of the listed criteria MUST be met before ‘76' is appropriate."
> By that definition, I couldn't use -76 in this situation for Medicare.
> But other payers would insist on it.
> Same with modifier 50 for bilateral.  For years AMA said that -50 should not be used on radiology 70000 codes but many Medicare payers had policies that listed codes that must use -50 if bilaterals were done and they included 70000 codes.



Thanks thats what i thought about it being payer policy, just havent heard of using 76.


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