03/03/2023

Assisting a Podiatrist as Attending and Billing Out Assistants Fee

I am on staff at a surgicenter which has podiatry residents rotate from different hospitals. Am I able to assist a podiatrist as an attending and to bill out an assistants fee if this is a surgicenter?

Yes- regardless of the facility place of service, you would be able to bill as an assistant surgeon. Whether a surgical procedure is performed in a hospital or an ambulatory surgical center, the same rules would apply. All procedures where you are assisting another podiatrist should be billed with CPT modifier -80. Not all procedure codes may be reimbursed as an assistant surgeon; consult your local Medicare fee schedule to confirm if an assistant surgeon is allowed for a specific procedure.