August 2014 page 14c
Surgery: Cardiovascular
Question: If a surgeon performs a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure during which a physician assistant (PA) performs endoscopic vein harvest while assisting on the CABG procedure, how is the work of the PA reported?
Answer: If there was only one PA who harvested the vein/artery and he or she was also the first assistant for the CABG, then the PA may report the appropriate CABG codes (33510-33516) with modifier 80, Assistant Surgeon, appended. Third-party payer polices may vary regarding the reporting of modifier 80 by a nonphysician provider.
Question: Does code...
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