Wiki bilateral 20552

[sblanchard]

Physican did trigger points on bilateral foot two on each foot. Can the modifer 50 or rt and lt be used?

Thanks

 

[dwaldman]

Surgery

Musculoskeletal System

Question

Are trigger point injection codes based on the number of injections administered?

Answer

From a CPT coding perspective, when coding trigger point injections, the CPT codes 20552 Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), one or two muscle(s) and 20553 Injection(s); single or multiple trigger point(s), three or more muscle(s) are based on the number of muscles injected, not the number of injections administered.

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If the documentation supports that 1-2 muscles were injected use 20552. If the documentation supports that 3 or more separate muscles were injected use 20553.