Question

A 42 year-old patient was undergoing anesthesia in an ASC and began having complications prior to the administration of anesthesia. The surgeon immediately discounted the planned surgery. If the insurance company requires a reported modifier, what modifier best describes the exenuating circumstances?

a) 53
b) 23
c) 73
d) 74

Answer 1

Modifier 73 is the correct modifier for a surgery cancelled before the administration of anesthesia due to patient complications, ensuring the patient's safety and proper medical team communication.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct modifier to describe the situation where a procedure is cancelled before anesthesia administration due to a patient's complications is modifier 73. Modifier 73 is used when a surgery is cancelled after the patient has been prepared for the procedure but before anesthesia has been administered. Since the surgeon, nurse, and anesthesia professional decided to discontinue the surgery due to the patient's complications prior to anesthesia, this is the appropriate modifier. It is important that the medical team, including the surgeon, nurse, and anesthesia professional, review aloud the key concerns for the recovery and care of the patient to ensure safety and proper communication.