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Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Use Modifier 53 to Code Terminated Procedures

Published on Mon May 25, 2009

Improve lumbar puncture accuracy with these documentation tips. What steps should you take to code a discontinued lumbar puncture? Can a discontinued procedure be reimbursed at all? Imagine a scenario in which during a lumbar puncture, the patient experiences leg numbness or paresthesia. Your physician ends the procedure before obtaining cerebrospinal fluid. Is the procedure a wash? Determining the right answer will impact not only your reimbursement, but how your claims will stand up during an audit. Modifier 53: Unlocking Discontinued Procedures The bottom line is, yes -- you may report the described service with 62270 (Spinal puncture, lumbar, diagnostic) for the spinal tap, says Gregory Przybylski, MD, director of neurosurgery at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J. You should include the appropriate diagnoses for whatever signs and symptoms lead to the procedure. Next: Append modifier 53 (Discontinued procedure) to 62270. Appendix A in the CPT [...]
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