Billing Bilateral Procedures Performed with Other Surgical Services

If bilateral surgical procedures are performed during the same operative session with other surgical services:

• Bill the primary surgical procedure code on the first line using no modifier 51.
• Bill the additional surgical procedure code(s) using modifier 51 to indicate multiple procedures performed during the same operative session.
• Bill the bilateral procedure using modifier 50 in the first modifier position, where appropriate. Then bill modifier 51 in the second modifier position.

Reimbursement for Bilateral Procedures Performed with Other Surgery

Reimbursement for bilateral procedures performed with other surgical procedures during the same operative session shall be reimbursed according to the guidelines for Multiple Surgical Procedures Reimbursement Amount as identified earlier in this chapter.

Note: When the bilateral procedure code is not the primary surgical procedure code on the medical bill, the reimbursement for the bilateral procedure code is subject to Multiple Surgical Procedure Reimbursement Amount guidelines.