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Otolaryngology Coding Alert

READER QUESTIONS:

92543 Global vs. 26: Check Audiologist Association

Published on Fri Jan 08, 2010

Question: Our otologist interprets electronystagmogram (ENG)/videonystagmography (VNG) results before meeting with the patient. He then goes over this result with the patient, carefully documents his efforts, and  dictates his evaluation in his note. Which modifier can we report to appropriately represent these services? Ohio Subscriber Answer: Codes 92540-92546, covering ENG/VNG tests, are broken into professional (modifier 26) and technical components (TC). The otologist, however, cannot double dip for these services. If he is reporting the ENG/VNG either by (a) his employed audiologist billing the ENG/VNG global or (b) a technologist providing the test and the physician billing the global, the otologist is getting paid for the interpretation. The audiologist or technologist provides the technical component and the otologist provides the interpretation. They both get paid through the global code, such as 92543 (Caloric vestibular test, each irrigation [binaural, bithermal stimulation constitutes 4 tests], with recording). If an outside audiologist (not [...]
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