Primary Care Coding Alert

Tip: Repeating a procedure or service doesn't always mean extra pay. With football and soccer seasons in full swing, family physicians could be seeing more patients -- young and old -- with upper or lower limb fractures. You'll often need modifiers to accurately report X-ray services, so check two important areas to keep a clear view of fractures coding. Confirm 50 or RT/LT for Bilateral X-raysPhysicians often request X-rays for both limbs so they can compare the patient's anatomy or rule out multiple injuries (such as when the patient was involved in a traffic accident). In these cases, you'll report the appropriate X-ray code with modifiers appended to indicate the physician completed bilateral X-rays of the same body part.Example: Mr. Thompson brings his 15-year-old son to your office with an apparent forearm fracture. The physician orders bilateral 2-view X-rays of the boy's forearms to confirm the diagnosis. You'll report 73090 (Radiologic examination; [...]