Article: Modifier 33 for Preventive Care

Modifier 33 was created in response to healthcare reform, requiring insurance companies to offer and cover (at full benefit) more preventive healthcare services.  Modifier 33 was implemented in late 2010 but because it was presented after publication of the 2011 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code book it was not included in it. 

The definition of modifier 33 is about as clear as mud so we are grateful that organizations such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA), as well as other professional organizations are continually providing the coding community with additional information to clarify its proper use.