Wiki Provider Billing for General Surgery

[lljjs2000@yahoo.com]

I have never coded or billed for a general surgeon. If a patient comes for an office visit and provider decides to do a egd/colonoscopy and has the surgery the next day. Then follows up in the office the next week or 2. What codes would I bill for the provider?

 

[willicoxj]

EGD and colonoscopy have 0 global days and are considered "minor procedures" so office consultation the day before a procedure and follow up visits should be billable. You generally would not bill for an E/M service on the same day as the actual procedure as this is usually considered "inherent" to the service provided with the procedure. But, ask yourself was the E/M prior to the procedure necessary to determine if a procedure should be performed? If you can make the argument that the visit prompted the scheduling of the procedure then the E/M can be billed even if it is on the same day as the procedure but you would add a -25 modifier to the E/M code that is billed.