Reader Question:
Append -53 Only With Anesthesia
Published on Thu May 01, 2003
Question: We were about to start anesthesia on a total knee replacement (27447) patient when her heart rate suddenly dropped. The orthopedist canceled the procedure and moved the patient from the operating room to an inpatient room, where a cardiologist evaluated her condition. Should we append modifier -53 to 27447 for our portion of the canceled procedure? Delaware Subscriber Answer: Modifier -53 (Discontinued procedure) is not appropriate because you canceled the procedure before administering anesthesia. The June 1997 CPTAssistant advises, "This modifier is not used to report the elective cancellation of a procedure prior to a patient's anesthesia induction and/or surgical preparation in the operating suite."
Because you admitted the patient to the hospital and requested the cardiologist's consultation, you should report only an initial hospital care code (99221-99223).
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