How Do I Use It. However, when 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. So, how does modifier 59 come into play in the therapy setting. This, in turn, determines whether modifier 59 is appropriate. This means that you cannot report the two codes together if you performed them during the same 15-minute time interval. If the care you provide meets the appropriate criteria, you can add modifier 59 to 97530 to indicate it was a separate service and should be payable in addition to the 97140. The same holds true for billing 97140 with 95851, 95852, 97164, 97168, 97018, therapeutic activity cpt code, or 97750. When Should I Use Modifier 59. therapeutic activity cpt code Therefore, we recommend asking the following questions to decide if and when you should use modifier 59. To make a long story short, edit pairs—also called linked services—are sets of procedures that therapists commonly perform together. Did you perform those two services separately and independently of one another. Does your documentation support your assertion that you performed the two services separately and independently of one another. Doing so could throw up a red flag to your payers. Clinicians, coders, and billers should only use modifier 59 as a last resort i. Only if no more descriptive modifier is available, and the use of modifier 59 best explains the circumstances, should modifier 59 be used. However, even though these modifiers went into effect January 1, 2015, that therapists do not need to start using them in therapeutic activity cpt code of modifier 59—at least not yet. That being said, therapists may be required to use the new modifiers in the future, so keep an eye—or an ear—out for further instruction regarding modifier 59 usage. If you are billing any of the codes listed, they will be considered mutually exclusive or linked. Most government payers—like Medicare, Tricare, and Medicaid—use this same list. However, private payers often create their own edit pairs; therefore, there is no guarantee they will pay, even with an applied modifier 59. Check out, and. Should I bill for a re-evaluation each time I complete a progress note. Where Can I Find the Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. If we had a middle name, it'd be compliance. We know Medicare regulations, including all applicable modifiers, backwards and forwards.