Wiki Modifier 24

[brownb38]

I have a general question and I'm hoping I will get a response. I have a physician that would like to bill for follow up visits in the hospital or a discharge with a modifier 24 when he has performed surgery on them. He is using a different diagnosis that is not related to the surgery. He is an orthopedic surgeon. He would like to link diagnosis such as Hypokalemia or idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, or severe malnutrition...etc. He is not actively treating the patient for these conditions, but is dictating something regarding these diagnosis in the hospital dictation. He is mainly seeing the patient for follow up on the surgery. Can he charge a follow-up or discharge after performing surgery on these patients?

 

[cgaston]

No. He is not treating anything unrelated to the surgery so the visits would not qualify.

When the reimbursement was calculated for the surgical payment the payment for the E&M's were included in the calculation and that is why they are not separately billable. Trying to bill these would be "double dipping"

 

[brownb38]

Thank You!!!