Modifier 78 continues its slide, though most codes have 0% denials
Effective Aug 22, 2024
Published Aug 26, 2024
Last Reviewed Aug 22, 2024
The Medicare billing numbers show a precipitous pandemic-era drop in utilization of modifier 78 (Unplanned return to the operating room by the same physician following initial procedure for a related procedure during the postoperative period). You may have expected that losing trend to slow as America began to recover from the pandemic in 2022. It did, but not by much. The total number of 78 citations slid from 65,857 in 2021 to 51,177 in 2022, a 22% loss.
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