Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: My office is not a surgery center, but we do perform minor surgeries under place of service POS 11. Can we bill for the intravenous (IV) services —the fluids, the drugs, and so on — separately?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: Because you are performing the surgeries using POS 11 (Office), you are not billing a facility fee for your supplies. Consequently, you may be able to bill separately for some supplies, if they are not considered a typical medical supply associated with the procedure (as captured in the practice expense relative value units associated with the procedure code) and are separately payable per payer guidelines.

That means depending on the procedure, you can bill for the IV catheter, tubing, and dressing if you use them during the surgery. However, if you are billing for moderate or conscious sedation using 99151-+99153 (Moderate sedation servicesf provided by the same physician or other qualified health care professional performing the diagnostic or therapeutic service that the sedation supports …), note that you cannot bill for the IV administration unless it is unrelated to the sedation service, as IV administration is considered a component of the moderate sedation service. If IV administration is unrelated to the sedation, you will need to unbundle them using a modifier such as modifier 59 (Distinct Procedural Service) if the documentation supports its use.