tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2003 Issue 9

Use Modifier -32 to Report Confirmatory Consults

Not every type of consult must meet the same requirements. Specifically, physicians providing consults to render second or third opinions can observe different "request" criteria, which can allow you to report these codes without the written request of another physician.  Although CMS guidelines as outlined in section 15506 of the Medicare Carriers Manual (MCM) state that "a physician or other appropriate source" must request a consultation, physicians may provide confirmatory consults (99271-99275) when a patient, the patient's family, or an insurer is seeking a second or third opinion prior to authorizing treatment - without another physician's written request...

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