Ob-Gyn Coding Alert
Using a Modifier to Separate 57410 and 57421? Not So Fast
If your ob-gyn performs vaginal colposcopy with biopsy under anesthesia, don't expect to collect for both 57421 and 57410. Under the new version of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI), carriers will deny the exam charge and will pay only for the colposcopy -- and no modifiers can separate these edits. Medicare considers the exam to be a standard surgical practice. Version 10.2 of the NCCI contains edits for permanently bundled codes. Because these edits feature a "0" indicator, carriers will deny these codes if you report them together. "Permanently bundled" means that you cannot separate these code combinations with a modifier (anatomic, staged procedure, or distinct procedure), even if you believe your medical documentation meets the modifier criteria, says Heather Corcoran, coder at CGH Billing in Louisville, Ky. The following chart details some of the new permanently bundled codes that may affect your ob-gyn practice along with the reason for the edit. 
Ob-Gyn Coding Alert
- NCCI 10.2 Makes Bone Density Scan Codes Mutually Exclusive
Using a modifier to separate mutually exclusive edits should be the rare exception, not the [...] - NCCI Targets Colposcopy Codes With New NME Edits
The National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) version 10.2 didn't stop with new mutually exclusive edits. [...] - Know Your Nonmutually Exclusive Code Bundles
Because the new National Correct Coding Initiative edits will affect ob-gyn coders so significantly, we've [...] - You Be the Coder:
Wide Excision of Vulva
Reviewed on May 20, 2015
Question: What is the correct code for wide excision [...] - Using a Modifier to Separate 57410 and 57421? Not So Fast
If your ob-gyn performs vaginal colposcopy with biopsy under anesthesia, don't expect to collect for [...] - E/M Is the Answer to Post-Hysterectomy Pap Coding
Don't be tempted by Q0091 and G0101 -- they generally won't apply If you code [...] - NCCI 10.2 Bundles J2001 Into Numerous Procedures
Not all new National Correct Coding Initiative edits affect surgical procedures -- in fact, a [...] - Reader Question:
Report 59025 and 76815 for Modified BPP
Question: My doctor performed what she calls a modified biophysical profile (BPP). The report is [...] - Clarification:
New ICD-9 List Includes Several Endometrial Hyperplasia Codes
In the August 2004 Ob-Gyn Coding Alert article "Prepare Yourself for Monumental ICD-9 Changes," the [...] - Reader Question:
Stick to Modifier -52 for Failed Procedures
Question: When our ob-gyn performed a diagnostic laparoscopy, he decided to proceed with a laparotomy [...]
