Eli's Rehab Report

Published on Tue May 04, 2004 PDF

Question: Should we append modifier -50 to 95900 when we perform bilateral testing for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)?

Arizona Subscriber

Answer: No, you should not append modifier -50 (Bilateral procedure) to the motor nerve conduction study (NCS) code 95900 (Nerve conduction, amplitude and latency/velocity study, each nerve; motor, without F-wave study). Instead, you should report a separate unit of CPT 95900 for each separate test that the physiatrist performs.

To report one test that the physician administers to both the left and right upper extremity, you should code 95900 x 2. To differentiate the test locations, however, you may append modifiers -LT (Left side) or -RT (Right side) as appropriate. But be sure to note that you may report only one unit of 95900 for multiple sites on the same nerve.

Do not append modifier -51 (Multiple procedures) to the second and subsequent line items for additional units of 95900. Because each code represents an independent procedure (that is, there is no "shared" work between the procedures), multiple-procedure fee reductions do not apply to these services.