In a hospital outpatient department, a planned procedure is stopped…

Question

In a hospital outpatient department, a planned procedure is stopped after anesthesia is induced because the patient becomes unstable. Which reporting concept applies?

Accepted Answer

Append the appropriate discontinued-procedure modifier concept to reflect that the outpatient procedure was started but discontinued. — If the team got as far as anesthesia and then had to abort because the patient went sideways, you do not pretend the whole outpatient procedure finished. The discontinued-procedure modifier family exists to tell the payer the case started and then stopped.

Answer

Bill the full procedure code without modification because anesthesia had already started.

Answer

Delete all procedure coding and report only the instability diagnosis.

Answer

Change the encounter to inpatient so no outpatient modifier is needed.

In a hospital outpatient department, a planned procedure is stopped after anesthesia is induced because the patient becomes unstable. Which reporting concept applies?

Short Explanation

Full Explanation