General Surgery Coding Alert
Use HCPCS Modifiers to Report PA Surgery Assist
Question: When a physician assistant (PA) assists in surgery on an outpatient basis, does this fit the incident-to definition? When billing incident-to, should I use the surgeon's information at all on the claim? Utah Subscriber Answer: A PA can bill for assisting in surgery under Medicare by appending HCPCS modifier -AS (Physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist services for assistant at surgery) to the CPT code, provided the procedure is billable under Medicare's guidelines. If a physician assists in surgery, he or she reports the same CPT code that the surgeon uses and adds -80 (Assistant surgeon) or -81 (Minimum assistant surgeon). Some non-Medicare payers may not know that a PA can assist in surgery and therefore may not recognize a claim for PA surgical assistance. You may need to educate private payers on the Medicare guidelines for this.
General Surgery Coding Alert
- Cut Out the Confusion of Lesion Excisions
For 2003, CPT significantly revises its guidelines for reporting excision of benign (11400-11471) and malignant [...] - Repairs with Lesion Excision Arent an Open-and-Shut Case
Physicians and coders should remember that in most cases, lesion excision will include closure, depending [...] - Watch Incision versus Margins When Calculating Diameter
When calculating excision diameter, be careful not to confuse the length of the incision with [...] - You Be the Coder:
Watch Dx and Modifiers with Thrombectomy
Test your coding knowledge. Determine how you would code this situation before looking at the [...] - Documentation Requirements Ease for Teaching Physicians
By Eric Sandham, CPC Under new Medicare rules, teaching physicians will find it easier to [...] - Reader Question:
Use Modifier -78 with Wound Dehiscence
Question: The wound repair article in your December 2002 issue failed to mention wound dehiscence [...] - Reader Question:
Check with Payer Before Applying Modifier -66
Question: Are there any special requirements for appending modifier -66? Maine Subscriber Answer: Apply modifier [...] - Reader Question:
Private Payers May Reimburse Telephone Codes
Question: Our physician spent 20 minutes during office hours on the phone providing advice and [...] - Reader Question:
Conscious Sedation
Question: I have read that conscious sedation by a physician performing an endoscopy is not [...] - Reader Question:
When Converting, Report Only the Open Procedure
Question: How should I code if the surgeon must convert to an open procedure during [...] - Keep Tabs on Surgeons Whereabouts to Avoid Incident-To Snafus
A surgeon's phone call is not enough to allow a surgery practice to bill "incident-to" [...] - CMS Allows Incident-To Billing for Shared E/M Services
Thanks to a recent CMS revision to its E/M rules, general surgery practices stand to [...] - Medical Necessity Is Critical for 99211 Reimbursement
Do patients come into the office for blood pressure checks or other brief E/M services [...] - Test Yourself:
A 99211 Coding Checkup
How much do you really know about when to report code 99211? Take the following [...] - Reader Question:
99211 Isnt Just for Nurses
Question: We employ a physician assistant (PA) who performs all levels of E/M services. We [...] - Reader Question:
Use HCPCS Modifiers to Report PA Surgery Assist
Question: When a physician assistant (PA) assists in surgery on an outpatient basis, does this [...] - Reader Question:
Physician Oversight Required for Critical Care
Question: Is it appropriate to include the time that our PA spends with a patients [...] - Reader Question:
Dual Diagnosis Presents Incident-To Options
Question: A physician assistant (PA) or a nurse practitioner (NP) is treating a patient incident-to [...] - Reader Question:
Bill Incident-To the Resident Doc
Question: One of our doctors treated a patient for an abscess at the site of [...]
