Ob-Gyn Coding Alert
Remember Modifier 78 With Return to OR
Question: The patient returned to the operating room for ligation of a bleeding artery after an open bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO).-The operative report indicates that the right infundibulopelvic ligament had an artery that slipped through the suture and was bleeding.-What is the correct way to code this?
South Dakota Subscriber
Answer: You should report 37617 (Ligation, major artery [e.g., post-traumatic, rupture]; abdomen). Be sure to append modifier 78 (Return to the operating room for a related procedure during the postoperative period).
You should link this code to 998.11 (Hemorrhage complicating a procedure) to indicate the medical necessity for returning to the operating room.
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