tci Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement - 2009 Issue 22

CODING COACH: Stop Forfeiting Up To $779 For Appendectomy Procedures

2 requirements open the door to adding on 44950 to 44970. Do you assume payers will bundle appendectomies into most other abdominal procedures? Automatically skipping over the appendectomy codes for every case could cost your surgeon approximately $80 to $779 in deserved reimbursement. There are circumstances when you can -- and should -- separately report appendectomy procedures. Here's how to capture added pay without unbundling.'Healthy' Removal = No Pay Medicare and most other payers will not pay separately for the removal of a healthy appendix.Reasoning: Surgeons may perform appendectomies during the course of more extensive abdominal procedures...

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