tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2001 Issue 8

Reader Question: Medicare, Private Carriers Differ on Modifier -50

Question: When using modifier -50 for a bilateral procedure, should we list the procedure code twice with -50 appended to the code on the first line, or should we only use the procedure code once, with -50 appended? How much should we charge? Michigan Subscriber  Answer: The answer depends on the payer, says Barbara Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CPC-H, a coding and reimbursement specialist and president of Cash Flow Solutions in Lakewood, N.J. For example, most Medicare carriers want to see one line only with modifier -50 (bilateral procedure) appended to the appropriate CPT code. But because...

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