Question

Dr. Hill performed an appendectomy but did not perform the preoperative and postoperative care. The modifier that is appended to the code for the appendectomy is 53.

1. true
2. false

Answer 1

The statement is false because the correct modifier for a surgery without preoperative and postoperative care is -54, not 53 which indicates a discontinued service.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that Dr. Hill performed an appendectomy but did not perform the preoperative and postoperative care and the modifier appended to the code for the appendectomy is 53 is false. The appropriate modifier for a scenario where a physician performs the surgery without providing preoperative and postoperative care is modifier -54, which indicates that only the surgical care was provided. The modifier -53, by contrast, is used to indicate a discontinued service, which is not the case described here. In the medical coding system, particularly with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes, an accurate modifier is essential to convey specific details about how a procedure was carried out and to ensure proper billing and reimbursement.