Definitions

Definitions A. Add-on codes are defined as procedures performed in addition to the primary service/procedure and are never reported as a stand-alone code. Add-on codes describe additional intra-service work associated with the primary procedure. B. Ambulatory surgery is defined as surgical procedure(s) that are more complex than office procedures, under local anesthesia, but less complex than procedures requiring prolonged postoperative monitoring and hospital care to ensure safe recovery and desirable results. C. Bilateral procedures are defined as exact procedures identified by the same procedure codes which are performed on anatomically bilateral sides of the body during the same operative session. D. Endoscopic procedure is defined as the performance of a procedure on interior organs and cavities of the body through an endoscope. An endoscope is a flexible fiber optic instrument used to visual the interior of a body cavity or organ. E. Incidental procedure is a procedure carried out at the same time as a primary procedure, but is clinically integral to the performance of the primary procedure or requires little additional physician resources. F. Multiple surgeries are defined as separate procedures performed by the same physician on the same patient at the same operative setting. G. Mutually exclusive procedures are defined as separate billing for two (2) or more procedures that are usually not performed for the same patient on the same date of service. H. Unbundled procedures are defined as the use of two (2) or more procedure codes to describe a procedure or event when a single procedure code exists that comprehensively describes the surgery performed.