Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: It is my understanding that the co-surgeon modifier -62 (two surgeons) is used when two surgeons perform the same procedure and each does a separate part of it. If the two surgeons perform two separate procedures for example, one performs a total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and the other performs a cholecystectomy each would bill for assisting the other using modifier -80 (assistant surgeon). Is this correct?

Kathy Aussenberg
Cumberland Obstetrics and Gynecology, PA
Vineland, N.J.

Answer: You are correct because no code describes both a TAH and cholecystectomy. You will frequently get into trouble when both surgeons are convinced they can both bill for their individual procedures because a CPT code describes each component part. For instance, the gyn performs a TAH (58150, for example) and the gyn oncologist performs a para-aortic and pelvic lymph node sampling (38562).

Because 58210 includes both of these procedures, both surgeons will bill the same code and each will add modifier -62 to indicate they were co-surgeons. In your example, each would bill for his individual procedures and each could bill for assisting by appending modifier -80 to the procedure code representing the surgery with which he assisted. Note, however, that Medicare will never pay a primary surgeon for both the complete surgery and assisting another physician at that same surgical session.