ED Coding and Reimbursement Alert

Question: Does anyone know a successful way to get Medicare to pay for two ED visits on the same day for different diagnoses? I am unsure if modifier 77 would work at this point. Has anyone been successful recently? Virginia SubscriberAnswer: Historically, it was thought that multiple office visits or Emergency Department visits in a single day should be combined and one single E/M should be billed under all circumstances. For multiple ED visits in a single day, CPT® Information Services has offered some guidance:"From a CPT® coding perspective, if a physician performs an E/M service for a patient who returns that same day for an additional E/M service, then both E/M services may be reported based upon the key components (i.e., history, examination, medical decision making) performed. Modifier 59 (Distinct Procedural Service), should be appended to the second E/M code to indicate that it was performed at a separate [...]