tci Part B Insider - 2014 Issue 5

Reader Question: Know When Modifier QW Applies

Question: We always like reading your updates about CLIA-waived tests, but we have a question: If we’re performing 85610 and 80061 in a physician-office lab, should we use modifier QW or 90? Is QW only for Medicare?   Answer: If the physician-office lab operates with a certificate of waiver from under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), then you should report the codes with modifier QW (CLIA waived test). Modifier QW indicates that a specific, commercially marketed in vitro diagnostic test has been categorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a waived test. That means that...

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