2 Tips Lead to Modifier 22 Success Every Time

Watch frequency and provide documentation to rationalize extra pay.

Applying modifier 22 (Increased procedural services) can help increase reimbursement if your neurosurgeon documents a greater-than-usual effort during a surgical service. To ensure your claims’ success, surgeons and coders must also...

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Correct Coding Initiative: ‘Mutually Exclusive’ and ‘Bundled’ Defined

Decipher what column 1/column 2 means in this neurosurgery bundle example.

Question: Would you explain what the differences are between mutually exclusive and “column 1/column 2″ edits that come from the Correct Coding Initiative (CCI)?

Florida Subscriber

Answer: Mutually exclusive...

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Give Your Radiosurgery or Gamma Knife Surgery Coding a Check-Up

Improve your reimbursement chances by applying modifier 58 in this situation. When your surgeon targets the brain or spine with stereotactic radiosurgery (also called gamma knife surgery) to treat multiple lesions over multiple sessions, you need to know two crucial things: what stereotactic radiosurgery codes to use and how many units to include. Take this three-question challenge [...] Related articles:

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Neurosurgery Coding: Previous Injury Means Multiple Dx Options

Find out what additional information V codes provide to the payer. Question: We have a patient with previous spinal injury that is now causing neck pain. How should I code the diagnosis? North Carolina Subscriber Answer: Document and code prior conditions that contribute to a patient’s current complaint — if they affect the management of the current condition. Prior trauma, [...] Related articles:

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Eye Surgery Coding Challenge: Denials for 15823 & 67904

Question: I started receiving denials for 15823 and 67904. To report this combo, should I use a modifier? Answer: If the ophthalmologist performs the blepharoplasty (bleph) with excessive weight (15823, Blepharoplasty, upper eyelid; with excessive skin weighting down lid) on one eye and the blepharoptosis (ptosis) repair (67904, Repair of blepharoptosis; [tarso] levator resection or advancement, [...] Related articles:

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