donnamcgowan
New
I am trying to provide uniformity for all of our labs in the area of coding. My understanding is that for codes with the word "each" as in each specimen, each antibody or just the word each, we should code the procedure as one line item with the number of units listed and no modifier. The same thing would go for add-on codes including the phrase "each additional" in the descriptor. However, when coding a procedure for which the descriptor does not include the word "each", we should code each occurrence as a separate line item with either modifier 91 (for repeat of the same procedure) or modifier 59 (when the CCI or MUE restricts the number billed in one day or when it is a different CPT code). Although there are articles instructing on the difference between modifiers 91 and 59, I have not been able to find anything about the issue of "each" that would pertain particularly to lab testing. I would assume that we should apply the same theory as we would to other areas of CPT. I would appreciate your comments on this.