Practice Management Alert

Hint: Know your payer's policies on billing complication treatment.To ensure payment for E/M services your physician performs within the global period of a surgical procedure, you must know the ins and outs of modifier 24 (Unrelated evaluation and management service by the same physician during a postoperative period). Last month, we busted the first two myths: Modifier 24 applies to any service done in the post-op period and scheduled office visits rule out modifier 24. Now tackle three more modifier 24 myths to ensure you're submitting clean, successful claims.Myth #3: You Can Never Use Modifier 24 For Compliation-Related ServicesWhen you report postoperative services to payers that follow CPT guidelines, you'll need to append modifier 24 to the E/M code to indicate that the service took place during the surgery's global period.Example: If a patient has abdominal surgery and returns to your office with a postoperative wound infection along the suture [...]