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Urology Coding Alert

Case Study:

Modifier 78 Is Your Ticket to Complication Corrections During the Postoperative Period

Published on Wed May 18, 2011

Watch out for CCI bundling as well -- you may need a second modifier.When your urologist performs a procedure and two days later returns the patient back to the operating room to correct a complication, you need to know if you can report the secondary procedures, and if so, how to do so without losing money.Scenario: A patient undergoes a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Initially he does well, but on postoperative day two he has severe hematuria and goes into urinary clot retention. The patient's bladder is filled with clots and the patient cannot void. The urologist returns the patient to the operating room for evacuation of clots and prostatic fossa fulguration.Two coding questions: With this case, there are two questions you should ask before you start coding:1. How would you code for these procedures performed within two days of each other?2. Can you [...]
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