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General Surgery Coding Alert

General Coding:

Check Payer and CLIA Information Before Appending Modifier QW

Published on Mon Aug 17, 2026

Question: I work for an outpatient office where providers regularly perform and interpret in-house testing for patients with suspected bacterial vaginosis. I usually code 87210 for the procedure they use, but is modifier QW ever appropriate? California Subscriber Answer: There isn’t enough information here to fully answer your question, as the decision to append modifier QW (CLIA-waived test) may depend [...]
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