Wiki Cancelled Surgery

[andi]

If a surgery goes to hospital to perform an outpatient surgery and the surgery is cancelled due to health issues, ex:high glucose, what code can the surgeon (not the facility) bill for his time going to hospital to perform surgery?

 

[missy874]

Is this ASC? If so, you can look at billing the surgery code with either the modifier 73 or 74 as appropriate.

 

[mitchellde]

73 and 74 are facility modifiers. There is no way to bill for the physician time involved in going to the hospital. The discontinued procedure modifier (53 for physician) can be applied to the procedure that was discontinued only when the patient is in the room where the procedure is to be performed when the decision to discontinue is made.

 

[andi]

Modifier 53 can only be used if patient given anesthesia, correct?

 

[penguins11]

The patient has to have been given anesthesia and the procedure would have to have been started to bill. Can not bill for a dr. driving to the hospital.

 

[FTessaBartels]

Did physician examine the patient?

If the physician examined the patient you can bill his E/M services per his documentation.

Hope that helps.

F Tessa Bartels, CPC, CEMC