Wiki Modifier (s) for Use of Interpreter During Visit

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No modifier, but there is a HCPCS code if your practice is supplying an interpreter. In my area, Medicaid and managed Medicaid do pay for this.
T1013 Sign language or oral interpretive services, per 15 minutes
 
Aside from Medicaid and managed Medicaid you cannot charge a patient for interpreter services per Title VI of the Civil Rights act. Below is a quote from a previous post about billing for interpreter services posted on 12/01/23 in a post titled Spanish Interpreting services, linked here.
ckeeney said:
I have never seen a code for interpreter services. Providing them is required under Title VI of the Civil Rights act. If someone has guidance otherwise it would be interesting to hear. I know this question has come up several times in the Forum, you might want to search for older posts on this.
Title VI link: Office for Civil Rights
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Also, under the ACA there are requirements for providing language services to limited English proficient (LEP) patients. Specifically, the ACA extends previous mandates and explicitly requires insurers and healthcare institutions to provide written translation and interpreting services for limited English proficiency individuals of qualifying language groups. These requirements are specific to at least the top 15 languages spoken by LEP individuals in the relevant state. According to the Guide to Developing A Language Access Plan there is a link to the list of the top 15 languages per state on the last page of the guide in the Appendix: Selected Resources There is a link for CMS Top 15 Non-English Languages by State and according to the linked document the following are the top 15 languages for SC (I based the state on your profile location).
  1. Spanish
  2. Chinese
  3. Vietnamese
  4. Korean
  5. French
  6. Tagalog
  7. Russian
  8. German
  9. Gujarati
  10. Arabic
  11. Portuguese
  12. Japanese
  13. Ukrainian
  14. Hindi
  15. Mon-Khmer, Cambodian
If a patient speaks a language other than one of these 15 you may be able to charge for interpreter services but Medicare and commercial insurance companies are not going to pay for them.
 
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