General Surgery Coding Alert

You can still have multiple docs with modifier AI. Get used to a two-tiered system for 2010 -- consultation codes 99241-99255 for some payers, but not for Medicare. Let our experts help you identify and solve consult-coding pitfalls -- like how to garner pay when multiple physicians bill initial care -- with the following four pointers: 1. Inventory Your Payers Although Medicare Part B won't pay for consultation codes as of Jan. 1, not all payers have followed suit. Because CPT 2010 kept the consultation codes, some payers are opting to continue using them this year. The no-consult policy applies only "to physicians billing the Medicare fee-for-service program -- it does not apply to Medicare Advantage or a non-Medicare insurer," said CMS's Whitney May during a CMS Open Door Forum on the change. To ensure continued reimbursement, you should contact your major payers and determine their stance on billing consultation codes. You might also [...]