Reader Question:
Adjustable Suture
Published on Sat Dec 01, 2001
Question: When billing a muscle surgery with adjustable suture add-on, should I use modifier -51 on the adjustable suture?
Ohio Subscriber
Answer: When billing ocular muscle surgery, do not append modifier -51 (multiple procedures) to the add-on code for adjustable sutures (+67335, placement of adjustable suture[s] during strabismus surgery, including postoperative adjustment[s] of suture[s] [list separately in addition to code for specific strabismus surgery]). Always bill the add-on code in addition to the muscle surgery, without modifier -51. You do not need to put the plus sign on the claim. You will be paid full value for the add-on code, not 50 percent. CPT specifies that the relative value units (RVUs) of add-on codes are set as independent procedures.
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