Forum - Questions & Answers
question about 22903, 49550 and multiple surgeons
This is a little confusing, sorry. I work for a billing service, this involves multiple clients and multiple coders.
Surgeon A, assisted by Surgeon B (both gynecologists) started surgery to remove what they thought was a groin mass. Once they had dissected far enough, they realized it was a femoral hernia. They stopped and called in Surgeon C (general surgery, completely separate practice) to repair the hernia. Surgeon A acted as Surgeon C's assistant on the hernia repair.
Surgeon C's charges were coded as 49550.
Surgeon A's charges were coded by a different coder as 22903-53 (22903-8053 for Surgeon B).
Now, I know that we code what was done, not what was intended, so obviously Surgeon A should only be billing for the hernia repair assist. However, that leaves Surgeon B out of the picture. This will not make Surgeon B happy.
I need to know if there is any way around this problem (doubtful), or I need a really good explanation for Surgeon B. (Preferably with backup.)
Any suggestions?