Can You Report Technical and Professional Components on Different Dates of Service?
Question: What date of service (DOS) should we use for billing the professional component of radiology services? Should the DOS be the date the images were read and interpreted by the physician? AAPC Forum Subscriber Answer: According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the DOS “for the professional component would be the date the review and interpretation is completed.” This means that you can bill the technical and professional components with different dates of service if that is how the process occurred. Scenario: A patient presents to the radiology practice on Monday afternoon for a two-view chest X-ray to evaluate for possible pneumonia. The radiologist captures the images but then leaves for the day. The radiologist has Tuesday off from work and returns to the clinic on Wednesday, when they review and interpret the chest X-rays. The radiologist writes their report and sends it to the patient’s physician. In this scenario, you’ll assign 71046 (Radiologic examination, chest; 2 views) appended with modifier TC (Technical component …) with Monday’s date as the DOS. Next, you’ll use 71046 appended with modifier 26 (Professional component) with Wednesday’s date listed as the DOS. Mike Shaughnessy, BA, CPC, Production Editor, AAPC
