Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Rely on 3 Modifiers to Conquer Challenging Lumbar Puncture Coding

Complete documentation is your best support to recoup pay for the additional effort and time.

The challenge in reporting lumbar punctures grows when your clinician either takes longer than usual with a difficult puncture or elects to discontinue part of the procedure. The solution? Get your modifier coding on track, whether you're reporting reduced or difficult punctures or punctures done during global periods.


Confirm Reduced Procedure Before Adding 52

In some situations, your physician or the patient may elect to perform only part of the procedure instead of the entire puncture. If so, you append modifier 52 (Reduced services) to 62270 (Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic) or 62272 (Spinal puncture, therapeutic, for drainage of cerebrospinal fluid [by needle or catheter]) to imply the reduced (not terminated) [...]