Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: When a resident assists a physician in a teaching hospital, do we need to add modifier GC to the procedure code for surgery, or is that only used with evaluation and management (E/M) codes?

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: Yes, you should append modifier GC (This service has been performed in part by a resident under the direction of a teaching physician) to surgical procedure codes when a resident assists a surgeon in a teaching hospital. You should also append GC to anesthesia cases involving a resident and include all ancillary procedures, such as arterial lines. Although modifier GC does not affect the payment, this statistical/informational modifier helps keep track of how many services involve residents.

Modifier GC is not only for E/M codes. The modifier indicates that a resident provided the procedure under a teaching physician’s direction.