Advanced Search

Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Reader Questions:

End Worries Over Pre Op Visits

Published on Sun Aug 15, 2010

Question: Can you explain what is entailed in a pre op visit? We have a podiatrist who performs surgery on a Friday. Each Tuesday prior to surgery he sees the patient to go over any labs or xrays that he had previously ordered for their surgery. He feels that a lot of time goes into this visit, and due to the lab results the patient does not always end up having surgery. Can we bill this service or should we consider it pre op? Alaska SubscriberAnswer: This is a topic that has been addressed several times and is always of debate. Most major surgical procedures have a global period that starts 24 hours prior to the surgery. If the patient does not have surgery because of complications, then you could certainly bill an office visit (99211-99215).
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

View All