Neurosurgery Coding Alert

Your surgeon may decide to do a diagnostic or therapeutic puncture as an office procedure when providing an additional E/M service. You can report both the spinal puncture and the E/M service. You report the spinal punctures with a star, 62270* or 62272*. Additionally, you append modifier -25 (Significant, separately identifiable evaluation and management service by the same physician on the same day of the procedure or other service) to the E/M service code. If you fail to do so, your payer may bundle the E/M code to the spinal puncture and refuse separate reimbursement.