Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: If I’m reporting use of a drug vial with overfill, do I include that in the claim line for wastage now that Medicare requires us to use modifier JW?

Codify Subscriber

Answer: No, you should not use modifier JW (Drug amount discarded/not administered to any patient) to report overfill.

Report the amount administered from a single dose or single use package on one claim line, and then report the amount wasted (up to the amount listed on the package or label) on another claim line with modifier JW appended.

Term tip: Overfill is an amount of the drug included in the vial or package that is greater than the amount identified on the package or label. For example, the manufacturer may include overfill for a drug drawn into a syringe to ensure a full dose can be taken from the vial.

Medicare posted a Q&A about the new national requirement to use modifier JW, effective Jan. 1, 2017, at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/HospitalOutpatientPPS/Downloads/JW-Modifier-FAQs.pdf.