tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2009 Issue 1

Consider These Alternatives to Modifier 78

When the service you wish to report doesn't quite meet the standards for applying modifier 78 (Unplanned return to the operating/procedure room by the same physician following an initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period), consider these modifier alternatives to meet your coding needs. - For follow-up procedures during the global period that are related to the patient's initial condition, you would append modifier 58 to the appropriate procedure code, explains Suzan Berman-Hvizdash, CPC, CPC-E/M, CPC-EDS, physician educator for the University of Pittsburgh and past member of the American Academy of Professional Coders National Advisory Board...

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