Improperly coding IOL Masters or A-scans can cost your practice $30 per patient.

Calculating intraocular lens power for patients facing cataract surgery has gotten more precise as A-scan and IOL Master technology has advanced. But to make sure your practice is getting fairly reimbursed each time, you need to understand the bilateral rules for 76519 and 92136.

Could one of these myths be damaging your claims?

Include Bilateral and Unilateral Components in Global Code

Myth: If the ophthalmologist calculates IOL power in both eyes, you should report 76519 (Ophthalmic biometry by ultrasound echography, A-scan; with intraocular lens power calculation) or 92136 (Ophthalmic biometry by partial coherence interferometry with intraocular lens power calculation) twice (e.g., 76519-RT and 76519-LT, or 76519-50).

Reality: You should not report 76519 or 92136 with modifier 50 even if the ophthalmologist calculated the IOL power of both eyes, warns Maggie M. Mac, CPC, CEMC, CHC, CMM, ICCE, Director, Best Practices-Network Operations at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. To understand why, it’s helpful to know how Medicare’s Physician Fee Schedule values the procedures.

As it does with many other diagnostic tests, CMS divides the A-scan (76519) and the IOL Master (92136) into two components. The technical component (the actual performing of the test) is denoted with modifier TC, and the professional component (viewing and interpreting the results) is denoted with modifier 26.

For most procedures, the technical and professional components have the same bilateral status – for example, 92250-TC and 92250-26 (Fundus photography with interpretation and report) are both considered inherently bilateral, denoted with modifier indicator “2” on the fee schedule. The reimbursement for all components of 92250 is based on both eyes being tested.

Exception: For both 76519 and 92136, the technical component has a different bilateral status from the professional component. You can find...

Don’t let nurses do the doctor’s work, or risk downcoded E/Ms upon audit.

The only parts of the E/M visit that an RN can document independently are the Review of Systems (ROS), Past, Family, and Social History (PFSH) and Vital Signs, according to a June 4, 2010 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) answer from Palmetto GBA, Part B carrier for Ohio. The physician or mid-level provider must review those three areas and write a statement that the documentation is correct or add to it.

Only the physician or non-physician practitioner who conducts the E/M service can perform the History of Present Illness (HPI),  Palmetto says.

Exception: In some cases, an office or Emergency Department triage nurse can document “pertinent information” regarding the Chief Complaint or HPI, Palmetto says. But you should treat those notes as “preliminary information.” The doctor providing the E/M service must “document that he or she explored the HPI in more detail,” Palmetto explains.

Other payers have expanded on Palmetto’s announcement, letting physicians know that they cannot simply initial the nurse’s documentation. For example, Noridian Medicare publishes a policy that states, “Reviewing information obtained by ancillary staff and writing a declarative sentence does not suffice for the history of present illness (HPI). An example of unacceptable HPI documentation would be ‘I have reviewed the HPI and agree with above.’”

Good news: Thanks to this clarification, your doctor won’t have to repeat the triage nurse’s work. Right now, if the nurse writes “knee pain x 4 days,” at the top of the note, some auditors might insist that your doctor needs to write “knee pain x 4 days” in his/her own handwriting underneath. But that requirement is a thing of the past if your carrier echoes Palmetto’s requirement.

Bad news: Now this carrier has made it...