Eli's Rehab Report

Question: We are teaching a patient how to use prostheses on her hands. Should we use the bilateral modifier (-50) to indicate that the training is occurring on the left and right sides of the body? We were using 97520 (Prosthetic training, upper and/or lower extremities, each 15 minutes) and adding "x 2," but we were told that was wrong.

Colorado Subscriber

Answer: You are correct to bill 97520, but there is no need to bill "x 2" or use a modifier to indicate which side of the body is being treated. Prosthetic limb training is a time-driven code, and one unit is billed for each 15 minutes performed, regardless of the number of body areas treated. Education concerning skin care where the prosthesis attaches to the body also is included in 97520.