| August 2004 · Vol. 16, No. 8 Reimbursement Adviser
Multiple procedures follow pelvic pain in ERMelanie
Witt,
RN, CPC, MAMs. Witt, former program manager in the Department of Coding and Nomenclature at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is an independent coding and documentation consultant. Reimbursement Adviser reflects the most commonly accepted interpretations of CPT-4 and ICD-9-CM coding. When in doubt on a coding or billing matter, check with your individual payer.
Q I performed laparoscopic evaluation of a patient with pelvic pain who came to the emergency room (ER). The woman was found to have both a hemorrhagic ovarian cyst, which was cauterized, and appendicitis, for which an appendectomy was performed. What are the rules for billing these procedures together?
A Were you called for a consultation in the ER? If so, bill an outpatient consultation code with modifier -57 (decision to do surgery), as this was the visit at which surgical intervention was deemed necessary. (I assume the procedure was performed either the day of or the day after the decision.)
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