A patient presents at his primary care provider's office with pain in the left wrist. The physician orders a complete, three view x-ray of the wrist to be done in the outpatient department of the local hospital. The hospital will bill the technical component of the wrist x-ray. How will the radiologist bill for his services?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radiologist will bill using the code for the professional component of the service, which is indicated by appending modifier -26 to the procedure code. The correct code for a complete, three-view x-ray of the wrist is 73110, so with the professional component modifier, it becomes 73110-26.

A Patient Presents at His Primary Care Provider's Office with Pain