Ob-Gyn Coding Alert

Question: If a patient delivers twins, can my practice bill twice for the c-section using modifier -51 on the second procedure?

Ohio Subscriber
 
Answer: If only one surgery is performed and two babies are delivered at the same operative site, you cannot bill twice for the c-section (59514, cesarean delivery only), regardless of which modifier you use. When delivering twins by c-section, you can append modifier -22 (unusual procedural services) to the code and send in the operative report, but many carriers will not pay extra for multiple births. Some might pay extra for two or more vaginal deliveries, but not for cesareans.