Podiatry Coding & Billing Alert

Question: Can I use 99070 to report the use of supplies at our office? -- Colorado Subscriber Answer: The AMAand Medicare already factor essentials into a code's values on the physician fee schedule. If you're doing a procedure in the office that requires tools,surgical trays, or other supplies, the reasonable expectation is that you will be using equipment and that those costs have been accounted for in the price's procedure. The site of service differential in the Medicare fee schedule, which pays more for this procedure when done in the office versus a facility, is meant to include these supplies and services. For example, if the podiatrist does a biopsy in the office (such as 11100, Biopsy of skin, subcutaneous tissue and/or mucous membrane [including simple closure], unless otherwise listed; single lesion), he will use equipment to do it, and he may need to close the biopsy site with simple closure [...]