Radiology Question for the Week of April 9, 2018

Question:

My radiologist is reading fluoroscopy films done in the operating room by another physician. Can my radiologist bill for the fluoroscopy (76000), or should we bill for the area being imaged (such as a chest X-ray) with a 52 modifier since the fluoroscopy isn’t being performed?

Answer:

If your physician was not in the room where the fluoro was done, he may not report 76000. If he was asked to interpret films from the fluoro, then he would report an appropriate X-ray code for the body area imaged with modifier 26. There should be medical necessity for the separate interpretation.