Tip: Know who assigns modifiers
APCs Weekly Monitor, June 4, 2010
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Staff members in numerous areas of a facility may be appending modifiers. Consider establishing a liaison in each department of your facility. Contact this liaison to determine:
- What was ordered
- How the service was modified
- Whether the service requires a modifier for appropriate billing
Patient access staff and patient financial services sometimes append modifiers, especially at small facilities. Staff in the patient admissions department at some facilities may wear many hats and have many responsibilities, including real-time charge entry.
Some EDs, clinics, and ancillary departments process patients through the patient access department. These staff members may identify charges and add certain modifiers, such as those related to ABN usage.
This tip is adapted from “Reduce coding and billing errors by knowing who appends modifiers, always reviewing documentation” in the June issue of Briefings on APCs.
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