Wiki Co-Surgeons versus Assistant Surgeons

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jveronick

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My doctor has decided to take a patient to surgery that needs two procedures and he wants to do them on the same day.

He has asked another surgeon to do the first surgery and my doctor will assist (ORIF of a left distal femur fracture) and then my doctor will do a left THA with the other doctor assisting.

I'm trying to decide if they should really be co-surgeons for both of these procedures or if it really is Doctor A as primary surgeon for Procedure #1 and Doctor B is assisting and then Doctor B is primary surgeon for Procedure #2 and Doctor A is assisting?

I've consulted my CPT book and I'm not any closer to an answer. Thoughts?

Julie Veronick, CMPE, CPC,
Practice Administrator,
Tower Joint Replacement Clinic, Inc.
4100 Lake Otis Pkwy, Suite 300
Anchorage, AK 99508
P: 907-222-2924
F: 907-222-2934
julie@tjrclinic.com
 
No modifier required

Hi there!

According to MLN #SE1322, "Different procedures require no modifier - If surgeons of different specialties are each
performing a different procedure (with different CPT codes), neither co-surgery nor multiple
surgeon rules apply (even if the procedures are performed through the same incision). If one
of the surgeons performs multiple procedures, the multiple procedure rules apply to that
surgeon’s services.

Here is the link to the entire article: https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Ed...k-MLN/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE1322.pdf

Does that help?
 
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