Wiki Cancelled procedure

[Sandylu70]

Patient was scheduled for a cardiac ablation. Anesthesiologist cancelled procedure because patient had extremely high blood pressure and patient had a full breakfast. Doctor did talk to patient and explained situation and need to reschedule procedure. Would I still code 93656 and add modifier? Do I just bill for an outpatient visit?

 

[thomas7331]

The physician cannot bill for the procedure - only the facility can bill for a cancelled procedure. If the documentation supports a medically necessary E&M service, then that can be billed, but I wouldn't consider just talking to the patient about needing to reschedule alone to meet that definition.

 

[csperoni]

From my experience in these scenarios, the clinician does not document enough to have a billable visit. If your clinician does provide appropriate documentation, then as @thomas7331 advised, you may bill an E/M but not the cancelled procedure.