Wiki Modifier 80 - Need adivce on an op note

house

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Need adivce on an op note. One physican from OB/GYN does hysterectomy on a patient and another physican from a different practice does hernia repair on same patient and day, would you bill out assistant surgeon (80) modifier? All the information I have gathered, states that it is not an appropriate. Each physician takes his turn in the OR. Also this is a Medicare pt. Thanks!!!
 
They're not "assisting" at surgery, if it's a separate surgery. If the 2 doctors are from different practices (ie, have different tax ID's), and it really is 2 separate visits to the OR, you may need a 59 modifier to indicate that it is a separate session/surgery, since they're not normally done on the same day (you really shouldn't need a modifier at all, though, since the doctors are from different groups.)

If it is all one surgical session, then it may qualify as a co-surgery; the modifier you would need is 62, I believe - both doctors should bill the same procedures with the 62 modifiers appended. It's difficult to say without seeing the op report, though.
 
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