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Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Reader Questions:

Cut Down on Co-Surgery Mistakes

Published on Mon Apr 27, 2009

Question: Our neurosurgeon is treating a workers compensation patient scheduled for an L5-S1 arthroplasty. A thoracic surgeon will be assisting him. How should I code this? New Hampshire Subscriber Answer: You should report 22857 (Total disc arthroplasty [artificial disc], anterior approach, including discectomy to prepare interspace [other than for decompression], single interspace, lumbar). Be sure to append modifier 62 (Two surgeons). Important: When acting as co-surgeons, two physicians cannot share the same documentation. Have each physician provide a note describing what portion of the procedure he performed, how much work was involved, and how long the procedure took. Make sure that both of the doctors involved in the co-surgery identify the other as a co-surgeon. Also, for your modifier 62 claim to succeed, both physicians must submit claims for the same procedure, and both physicians must use modifier 62.
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