Billing and Coding Article

Billing and Coding: CPT® Modifier 59: Gastroenterology

A53399

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Contractor Information

Contractor Name	Contract Type	Contract Number	Jurisdiction	States
Palmetto GBA	A and B MAC	10112 - MAC B	J - J	Alabama
Palmetto GBA	A and B MAC	10212 - MAC B	J - J	Georgia
Palmetto GBA	A and B MAC	10312 - MAC B	J - J	Tennessee
Palmetto GBA	A and B and HHH MAC	11202 - MAC B	J - M	South Carolina
Palmetto GBA	A and B and HHH MAC	11302 - MAC B	J - M	Virginia
Palmetto GBA	A and B and HHH MAC	11402 - MAC B	J - M	West Virginia
Palmetto GBA	A and B and HHH MAC	11502 - MAC B	J - M	North Carolina

Article Information

General Information

Article ID
A53399

Article Title
Billing and Coding: CPT® Modifier 59: Gastroenterology

Article Type
Billing and Coding

Original Effective Date
10/01/2015

Revision Effective Date
11/14/2019

Revision Ending Date
N/A

Retirement Date
N/A

Fee schedules, relative value units, conversion factors and/or related components are not assigned by the AMA, are not part of CPT, and the AMA is not recommending their use. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services. The AMA assumes no liability for data contained or not contained herein.

Copyright © 2024, the American Hospital Association, Chicago, Illinois. Reproduced with permission. No portion of the AHA copyrighted materials contained within this publication may be copied without the express written consent of the AHA. AHA copyrighted materials including the UB‐04 codes and descriptions may not be removed, copied, or utilized within any software, product, service, solution, or derivative work without the written consent of the AHA. If an entity wishes to utilize any AHA materials, please contact the AHA at 312‐893‐6816.

Making copies or utilizing the content of the UB‐04 Manual, including the codes and/or descriptions, for internal purposes, resale and/or to be used in any product or publication; creating any modified or derivative work of the UB‐04 Manual and/or codes and descriptions; and/or making any commercial use of UB‐04 Manual or any portion thereof, including the codes and/or descriptions, is only authorized with an express license from the American Hospital Association. The American Hospital Association (the "AHA") has not reviewed, and is not responsible for, the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this material, nor was the AHA or any of its affiliates, involved in the preparation of this material, or the analysis of information provided in the material. The views and/or positions presented in the material do not necessarily represent the views of the AHA. CMS and its products and services are not endorsed by the AHA or any of its affiliates.

CMS National Coverage Policy

N/A

Article Guidance

Article Text

Background

Under certain circumstances, a physician may need to indicate that a procedure or service was distinct or independent from other services and CPT^® modifier 59 may be appropriate depending on the circumstances. CPT^® modifier 59 is used to identify procedures/services that are not normally reported together and this includes the following procedures/services that are not ordinarily encountered or performed on the same day by the same physician:

A different

Session or patient encounter

Procedure or surgery

Site or organ system

A separate

Incision/excision

Lesion

Injury (or area of injury in extensive injuries)

When another already established modifier is appropriate, it should be used rather than CPT^® modifier 59. CPT^® modifier 59 is an important National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) associated modifier that is often used incorrectly and it should only be used if no more descriptive modifier is available or when its use best explains the circumstances.

For the NCCI, the primary purpose of CPT^® modifier 59 is to indicate that two or more procedures are performed at different anatomic sites or during different patient encounters. It should only be used if no other modifier more appropriately describes the relationships of the two or more procedure codes.

NCCI edits define when two procedure HCPCS/CPT^® codes may not be reported together except under special circumstances.

If an edit allows use of NCCI-associated modifiers, the two procedure codes may be reported together if the two procedures are performed at:

Different anatomic sites

Different patient encounters

The Part B MAC claim processing system utilizes NCCI-associated modifiers to allow payment of both codes of an edit.

CPT^® modifier 59 and other NCCI-associated modifiers should not be used to bypass an NCCI edit unless the proper criteria for use of the modifier is met. Documentation in the medical record must satisfy the criteria required by any NCCI-associated modifier used.

One of the misuses of CPT^® modifier 59 is related to the portion of the definition of CPT^® modifier 59 allowing its use to describe 'different procedure or surgery.' The code descriptors of the two codes of a code pair edit usually represent different procedures or surgeries. The related NCCI edit indicates that the two procedures/surgeries cannot be reported together if performed at the same anatomic site and same patient encounter. The provider cannot use CPT^® modifier 59 for such an edit based on the two codes being different procedures/surgeries. However, if the two procedures/surgeries are performed at separate anatomic sites or at separate patient encounters on the same date of service, CPT^® modifier 59 may be appended to indicate that they are different procedures/surgeries on that date of service.

Use of CPT^® modifier 59 to indicate different procedures/surgeries does not require a different diagnosis for each HCPCS/CPT^® coded procedure/surgery. Additionally, different diagnoses are not adequate criteria for use of CPT^® modifier 59. The HCPCS/CPT^® codes remain bundled unless the procedures/surgeries are performed at different anatomic sites or separate patient encounters.

From an NCCI perspective, the definition of different anatomic sites includes different organs or different lesions in the same organ. However, it does not include treatment of contiguous structures of the same organ. For example, treatment of the nail, nail bed and adjacent soft tissue constitutes a single anatomic site. Treatment of posterior segment structures in the eye constitutes a single anatomic site.

Examples of CPT^® Modifier 59 Usage

The following are some examples developed to help guide physicians and providers on the proper use of CPT^® modifier 59:

Example 1: Column 1 Code/Column 2 CPT^® Code 45385/45380

CPT^® code 45385 - Colonoscopy, flexible; with removal of tumor(s), polyp(s), or other lesion(s) by snare technique

CPT^® code 45380 - Colonoscopy, flexible; with biopsy, single or multiple

Policy: More extensive procedure

CPT^® modifier 59 is only appropriate if the two procedures are performed on separate lesions or at separate patient encounters.

Response To Comments

Number	Comment	Response
1

Coding Information

Bill Type Codes

Code	Description
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Revenue Codes

Code	Description
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CPT/HCPCS Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

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Group 1

(1 Code)

Group 1 Paragraph

N/A

Group 1 Codes

Code	Description
59	DISTINCT PROCEDURAL SERVICE: UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE PHYSICIAN MAY NEED TO INDICATE THAT A PROCEDURE OR SERVICE WAS DISTINCT OR INDEPENDENT FROM OTHER SERVICES PERFORMED ON THE SAME DAY. MODIFIER -59 IS USED TO IDENTIFY PROCEDURES/SERVICES THAT ARE NOT NORMALLY REPORTED TOGETHER, BUT ARE APPROPRIATE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS MAY REPRESENT A DIFFERENT SESSION OR PATIENT ENCOUNTER, DIFFERENT PROCEDURE OR SURGERY, DIFFERNET SITE OR ORGAN SYSTEM, SEPARATE INCISION/EXCISION, SEPARATE LESION, OR SEPARATE INJURY (OR AREA OF INJURY IN EXTENSIVE INJURIES) NOT ORDINARILY ENCOUNTERED OR PERFORMED ON THE SAME DAY BY THE SAME PHYSICIAN. HOWEVER, WHAN ANOTHER ALREADY ESTABLISHED MODIFIER IS APPROPRIATE IT SHOULD BE USED RATHER THAN MODIFIER -59. ONLY IF NO MORE DESCRIPTIVE MODIFIER IS AVAILABLE, AND THE USE OF MODIFIER -59 BEST EXPLAINS THE CIRCUMSTANCES, SHOULD MODIFIER -59 BE USED. MODIFIER CODE 09959 MAY BE USED AS AN ALTERNATE TO MODIFIER -59.

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

N/A

ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

N/A

Additional ICD-10 Information

N/A

Bill Type Codes

Contractors may specify Bill Types to help providers identify those Bill Types typically used to report this service. Absence of a Bill Type does not guarantee that the article does not apply to that Bill Type. Complete absence of all Bill Types indicates that coverage is not influenced by Bill Type and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all claims.

Code	Description
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N/A

Revenue Codes

Contractors may specify Revenue Codes to help providers identify those Revenue Codes typically used to report this service. In most instances Revenue Codes are purely advisory. Unless specified in the article, services reported under other Revenue Codes are equally subject to this coverage determination. Complete absence of all Revenue Codes indicates that coverage is not influenced by Revenue Code and the article should be assumed to apply equally to all Revenue Codes.

Code	Description
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N/A

Other Coding Information

N/A

Coding Table Information

Excluded CPT/HCPCS Codes - Table Format

Code	Descriptor Generic Name	Descriptor Brand Name	Exclusion Effective Date	Exclusion End Date	Reason for Exclusion
			N/A	N/A

Non-Excluded CPT/HCPCS Ended Codes - Table Format

Code	Descriptor Generic Name	Descriptor Brand Name	Exclusion Effective Date	Exclusion End Date	Reason for Exclusion

Revision History Information

Revision History Date	Revision History Number	Revision History Explanation
11/14/2019	R6	This article is being revised in order to adhere to CMS requirements per chapter 13, section 13.5.1 of the Program Integrity Manual. CPT^®was inserted where appropriate throughout the article. The effective date of this article is 11/14/2019.
02/26/2018	R5	This article is being revised in order to adhere to CMS requirements per chapter 13, section 13.5.1 of the Program Integrity Manual. CPT^®was inserted where appropriate throughout the article.
02/26/2018	R4	The Jurisdiction "J" Part B Contracts for Alabama (10112), Georgia (10212) and Tennessee (10312) are now being serviced by Palmetto GBA. Effective 02/26/18, these three contract numbers are being added to this article. No coverage, coding or other substantive changes (beyond the addition of the 3 Part B contract numbers) have been completed in this revision.
10/06/2016	R3	Under *Article Text-Background* revised the verbiage in the sentence “Medicare carrier and MAC Part B claim processing systems utilize NCCI-associated modifiers to allow payment of both codes of an edit” to read “The Part B MAC claim processing system utilizes NCCI-associated modifiers to allow payment of both codes of an edit”. Under *Article Text-Examples of CPT Modifier 59 Usage* the word “diagnostic” was deleted from the descriptions of CPT code 45385 and CPT code 45380.
10/01/2015	R2	Under *Article Text* and *CPT/HCPCS Codes* descriptor changes were made to 45385, and 45380. The changes were due to CR 8975, Annual HCPCS Update for 2015.
10/01/2015	R1	Added HCPCS codes from Article Text to the HCPCS Coding section.

Associated Documents

Updated On	Effective Dates	Status
11/07/2019	11/14/2019 - N/A	Currently in Effect	You are here
Some older versions have been archived. Please visit the MCD Archive Site to retrieve them.

Keywords

CPT® Modifier 59
Gastroenterology

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Billing and Coding: CPT® Modifier 59: Gastroenterology

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Contractor Information

Article Information

General Information

CMS National Coverage Policy

Article Guidance

Response To Comments

Coding Information

Bill Type Codes

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Revenue Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Codes

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CPT/HCPCS Modifiers

Group 1

ICD-10-CM Codes that Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

ICD-10-CM Codes that DO NOT Support Medical Necessity

Group 1

ICD-10-PCS Codes

Group 1

Additional ICD-10 Information

Bill Type Codes

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Revenue Codes

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Other Coding Information

Group 1

Coding Table Information

Revision History Information

Associated Documents

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