Beginning April 1, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said billing multiple anesthesia modifiers on the same date of service will no longer be appropriate, according to a notice poster on the insurance company’s website.
Under the update, anesthesia modifiers are considered mutually exclusive, with the exception of modifier QS. The change applies to the payer’s anesthesia services, professional and facility reimbursement policy, according to Blue Cross NC.
The insurer said anesthesia modifiers must be used to identify who performed the anesthesia service and the level of involvement, including personally performed, medically directed or medically supervised services. Modifiers indicating who performed the service must be submitted in the first modifier position, followed by the applicable physical status modifiers.
The policy applies to commercial plans, Inter-Plan Program Host and the Federal Employee Program. The update does not apply to Medicare Advantage or Inter-Plan Program Home plans.
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