Reader Question:
Reduced Price for -52
Published on Fri Nov 01, 2002
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Question: When using modifier -52, should I reduce the price of the service that I am billing? For example, when we give a Demerol injection, we sometimes dont give the full 100 mg included in J2175. When that happens, we reduce the price accordingly and also use modifier -52. Is it necessary to do both?
Florida Subscriber
Answer:
No, you should not reduce your price. Let the payer do that for you. You should use J2175 (Injection, meperidine HCl, per 100 mg) at your full price, appended by modifier -52 (Reduced services).
Modifier -52 tells the payer that you performed a particular service as described in the code but that the physician eliminated some portion of it. "This provides a way of reporting reduced services without disturbing the identification of the basic service," according to CPT.
When you submit your claim with -52, the payer will assume that the price submitted is your full price and will reduce it. If you submit the claim at an already-reduced price, you will be costing your office money because the payer will likely reduce it even more.