A. CPT Modifier “-24” – Unrelated Evaluation and Management Service by Same Physician During Postoperative Period
Carriers pay for an evaluation and management service other than inpatient hospital care before discharge from the hospital following surgery (CPT codes 99221-99238) if it was provided during the postoperative period of a surgical procedure, furnished by the same physician who performed the procedure, billed with CPT modifier “-24,” and accompanied by documentation that supports that the service is not related to the postoperative care of the procedure. They do not pay for inpatient hospital care that is furnished during the hospital stay in which the surgery occurred unless the doctor is also treating another medical condition that is unrelated to the surgery. All care provided during the inpatient stay in which the surgery occurred is compensated through the global surgical payment.
B. CPT Modifier “-25” – Significant Evaluation and Management Service by Same Physician on Date of Global Procedure
Medicare requires that Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) modifier -25 should only be used on claims for evaluation and management (E/M) services, and only when these services are provided by the same physician (or same qualified nonphysician practitioner) to the same patient on the same day as another procedure or other service. Carriers pay for an E/M service provided on the day of a procedure with a global fee period if the physician indicates that the service is for a significant, separately identifiable E/M service that is above and beyond the usual pre- and post-operative work of the procedure. Different diagnoses are not required for reporting the E/M service on the same date as the procedure or other service. Modifier -25 is added to the E/M code on the claim.
Both the medically necessary E/M service and the procedure must be appropriately and sufficiently documented by the physician or qualified nonphysician practitioner in the patient’s medical record to support the claim for these services, even though the documentation is not required to be submitted with the claim.
If the physician bills the service with the CPT modifier “-25,” carriers pay for the service in addition to the global fee without any other requirement for documentation unless one of the following conditions is met:
• When inpatient dialysis services are billed (CPT codes 90935, 90945, 90947, and 93937), the physician must document that the service was unrelated to the dialysis and could not be performed during the dialysis procedure;
• When preoperative critical care codes are being billed on the date of the procedure, the diagnosis must support that the service is unrelated to the performance of the procedure; or
• When a carrier has conducted a specific medical review process and determined, after reviewing the data, that an individual or a group has high use of modifier “-25” compared to other physicians, has done a case-by-case review of the records to verify that the use of modifier was inappropriate, and has educated the individual or group, the carrier may impose prepayment screens or documentation requirements for that provider or group. When a carrier has completed a review and determined that a high usage rate of modifier “-57,” the carrier must complete a case-by-case review of the records. Based upon this review, the carrier will educate providers regarding the appropriate use of modifier “-57.” If high usage rates continue, the carrier may impose prepayment screens or documentation requirements for that provider or group.
Carriers may not permit the use of CPT modifier “-25” to generate payment for multiple evaluation and management services on the same day by the same physician, notwithstanding the CPT definition of the modifier.
C. CPT Modifier “-57” – Decision for Surgery Made Within Global Surgical Period
Carriers pay for an evaluation and management service on the day of or on the day before a procedure with a 90-day global surgical period if the physician uses CPT modifier “-57” to indicate that the service resulted in the decision to perform the procedure. Carriers may no pay for an evaluation and management service billed with the CPT modifier “-57” if it was provided on the day of or the day before a procedure with a 0 or 10-day global surgical period.
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