Re: Billing question

From: RModugno@aol.com
Fri May 9 16:53:15 2008


Not having my book handy there is a "decision to do surgery modifier" and in the example quoted by Hank, then you could bill for both but as has been said- good luck on getting paid.

Robert Modugno MD MBA FACOG Sylva, NC

In a message dated 5/6/2008 10:34:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, henrygregor@yahoo.com writes:

Modifier -25 (Sigificant,separatelly identifiable E/M Service by the same physician n the Same Day of the Procedure of Other Service). For example, your scenario, or, a patient sees her physcian for vulvar pain and a Bartholin's abscess is diagnosed. If the physician performs an I&D, document the evaluation and diagnosis process separately, generally by creating a standard evaluation and diagnosis documentation note, followed by a separate procedure note. Then report, using the E/M code with a -25 modifier.

Be prepared to do persistent battle with the insuror. Some will cooperate, most won't. (I guess they depend on most providers and their billing staff to roll over, and move on to something else, like playing the float on their delayed payments.)

Keep a careful data base of those who do, those who don't...eventually, you can spare yourself the agony of wasting time on those carriers who won't honor the modifier. I have found most patients are sympathetic to the analogy that if you go the supermarket and buy eggs and butter its reasonable for the store manager to want to be paid for both products and not just for the eggs. I have found most patients will come back on another day to have the procedure done, though, of course, for a symptomatic issue like the Bartholin's cyst, that may be too burdensome and you and the patient will probably want to do what needs doing then and there.Keep a handy printed reference to give the patient to send to her state insurance commissioner for consumer complaint if her carrier fails payment and the burden falls upon her.

"Garry E. Siegel, M.D." <garrys@mindspring.com> wrote:

If during the course of your evaluation, you determine the need for a procedure (an endometrial biopsy comes to mind), then you can bill the E/M AND the procedure, with a modifier, I think. Lots of luck collecting on it, however.

That said, if someone came in for contraceptive counseling, and you decided to put in an IUD, I bet that you could code it similarly with the best of luck collecting.

Garry

At Tue, 6 May 2008, Lynn Montgomery wrote: >
>Listers,
>
>I would like opinions regarding a billing question; when a patient
>presents for an office visit for an IUD insertion or colposcopy for
>example, is one allowed to bill an office visit in addition to the
>actual procedure being performed (i.e. 99203 for office visit and 58300
>for IUD insertion). I have gotten different answers from various
>coders, including ACOG!
>
>Lynn
>
>--
>Lynn D. Montgomery, M.D.
>
>Obstetrics & Gynecology, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
>
>The Birth Center/Rocky Mountain Women's Health
>
>1211 S. Reserve St.
>
>Missoula, Montana, 59801
>
>406-549-0978
>
>fax 406-549-0987
>
>e-mail: apgar10@thebirthcentermt.com
>

--
Garry E. Siegel,  M.D.
Private Practice
Roswell, GA

now._ (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evtQ733/*http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ)





use when must restrict search to only the ob-gyn-l forum...
Enter search keywords:
Returns per screen: Require all keywords:

Return to  OB-GYN-L Mail a New Message to the Forum: ob-gyn-l@obgyn.net
Forum Administrator: geffrey.klein@obgyn.net
Report Technical Problems: webmaster@obgyn.net
Last Updated: Tue Dec 2 04:56:21 2008

The American Medical Association is no longer designating CME hours for AMA Category II CME credit. However, physicians themselves may self designate learning activities as Category II CME credit hours if they feel it is of sufficient educational merit and meets the formal definitions of continuing medical education. OBGYN.net believes these interaction in this forum meets these criteria. For further information see the AMA web site.