Pain Management: 2 Providers, 2 Postop Pain Injections

December 8, 2009

Double 76942 OK for second provider?

Question: Two providers from the same physician group performed two separate postoperative pain injections on the same patient, on the same day. Each provider used ultrasonic guidance during the procedure, but I’ve been told to report 76942 only once per day. How should we report both services?

Answer: You can bill 76942 (Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement [e.g., biopsy, aspiration, injection, localization device], imaging supervision and interpretation) twice in this case because you’re reporting the service for different providers. Your payer might want you to append modifier 77 (Repeat procedure by another physician) to the second instance to distinguish it from the first provider and service and include supporting documentation, depending on how the claims are processed. Check your local guidelines to verify before filing the claim.

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