DecisionHealth, DecisionHealth - 2021 Issue 10 (October)

Can I use modifier 78 if doctor leaves and returns? Only if patient goes too

Question: Our M.D. performed surgery on a patient, finished the procedure and left the OR. The patient decompensated. Immediately, the M.D. was brought back into the OR to fix the problem, which he did. The patient did not leave the OR between the two procedures. Is this a case for modifier 78 (Unplanned return to the operating room by the same physician fol lowing initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period)?

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