Modifier 51

When submitting a claim for reimbursement to an insurance company, it is important to include the correct billing modifiers. Modifier 51 indicates that multiple procedures were performed on the same patient during the same encounter, typically in surgery. When submitting a claim with modifier 51, be sure to include the procedure codes for all of the procedures that were performed. Insurance companies will use this information to determine the correct reimbursement amount. In some cases, modifier 51 may also be used to indicate that two procedures were performed on different body parts. For example, if a surgeon removes a tumor from the left lung and also biopsies the right lung, both procedure codes would be submitted with modifier 51.