tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2005 Issue 6

You Be the Coder: When Is -77 Appropriate?

Question: One of our surgeons performed a hemorrhoidectomy for a patient in 2001. Another surgeon in our practice performed an identical hemorrhoidectomy on the same patient in 2005. I billed the second procedure with modifier -77, and the payer reduced our reimbursement because of the modifier.My question is: When is it appropriate to report modifier -77 (Repeat procedure by another physician)?Pennsylvania SubscriberAnswer: You should report modifier -77 (Repeat procedure by another physician) when another surgeon repeats a procedure on the same day. The modifier alerts the payer that you have not mistakenly (and inappropriately) reported the procedure...

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