tci Part B Insider - 2003 Issue 9

CODING: Are You Using Modifier -59 Correctly? Quick Test Will Say for Sure

If you're slapping modifier -59 on your claims like there's no tomorrow, doomsday could in fact be upon you soon. "It is a very dangerous modifier because a lot of times people think of it as a license to unbundle," says Barbara Cobuzzi, president of Cash Flow Solutions in Lakewood, N.J. That's because appending -59 (Distinct procedural service) to a code will essentially overwrite a National Correct Coding Initiative edit indicating it should be bundled with something else. And although using this modifier will usually get you paid, it doesn't mean you should be paid. And the...

To read the full article, sign in and subscribe to tci Part B Insider.

Thank you for choosing Find-A-Code, please Sign In to remove ads.