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tci General Surgery Coding Alert - 2002 Issue 3

Modifiers Key to Coding Physician Visits, Global Periods

A surgeon visits a patient in the hospital during the global period for that person's surgery and determines that a second procedure (unrelated to the first one) must be performed.  Although the doctor reports the unrelated procedure using the appropriate procedure code with modifier -79 (Unrelated procedure or service by the same physician during the postoperative period) appended to it, there remains the question of how the surgeon codes the visit itself.   Obtaining payment can be difficult, and the solution involves using the correct modifier on the appropriate E/M service.  Three modifiers may apply: -24...

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