Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Take the fear out of modifier 59 using the scenarios our experts reveal.Choosing the appropriate code to describe your nerve conduction test can prove to be a challenging proposition --" until you learn three key areas to study. Follow these steps to make the right choice every time.Differentiate Between Code ChoicesPhysicians use nerve conduction studies (NCS) to evaluate the function and electrical conduction of motor and sensory nerves in the body. When you face NCS coding, CPT offers three options:95900 -- Nerve conduction, amplitude and latency/velocity study, each nerve; motor, without F-wave study95903 -- ... motor, with F-wave study95904 -- ... sensory.First step: Carefully review the physician's documentation for the individual nerves stimulated, says Marianne Wink, RHIT, CPC, ACS-EM, an independent consultant in Rochester, N.Y. Remember you can report only one unit of service of the corresponding NCS code when the neurologist performs a diagnostic study on the same nerve at multiple sites.Report [...]