Advanced Search

General Surgery Coding Alert

Case Study:

Mind Your Modifiers When Your Surgeon Works With Others

Published on Sat Apr 04, 2009

Automatically appending modifier 52 could be costing you hundreds. When your surgeon works with another physician during a procedure, you can face major coding challenges. If you don't coordinate your coding with the other physician's coder, both doctors could lose money and face audits. Learn how to correctly code for these shared procedures with this real-world case study. Review the Surgical Case Scenario: A urologist and a general surgeon performed surgery on a patient. The urologist did the orchiopexy and performed the opening and closing. The general surgeon performed an inguinal hernia repair. Coding dilemma: Which codes should each physician report, and what modifiers should the coders use, asks Betsie Wilson, CPC, professional fee coordinator and charge capture surgery team lead at University of Washington Physicians in Seattle, who presented this case study. No Bundle Means Two Codes CPT and the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) do not bundle the two [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in your eNewsletter
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs*
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more
*CEUs available with select eNewsletters.

Other Articles in this issue of

General Surgery Coding Alert

View All