Medicare improperly paid physicians for co-surgery and assistant-at-surgery services that were billed without the appropriate payment modifiers. On Nov. 25, the OIG published a review of whether Part ...

Modifiers describe special circumstances without changing the definition or meaning of the code used to report services. Modifiers are added to CPT or HCPCS codes. Modifiers are like playing Monopoly.

The OIG found that incorrect modifier usage led to $4.9 million in overpayments. Now is the time to shore up your revenue cycle as some providers may need to pay for incorrect modifier usage.