Reader Questions:
93970 Global Period a Factor for E/M Coding
Published on Thu Apr 14, 2011
Question: Can you bill a bilateral scan (93970) along with an office visit and get paid for both? Would you need to use modifier 25 on the office visit?Codify MemberAnswer: You may report an E/M service and 93970 (Duplex scan of extremity veins including responses to compression and other maneuvers; complete bilateral study) on the same claim. Whether you need to append modifier 25 (Significant, separately identifiable E/M service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service) may depend on your payer.Explanation: The global period for 93970 is XXX, according to the Medicare physician fee schedule. Medicare's Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) manual, chapter 1, section D, states that if you have a truly separate E/M, you may report it on the same day as a XXX procedure. The manual goes on to say that you should append modifier 25 to the E/M code. (As [...]