Q Can we bill for our ultrasound technician using “incident to” rules? Our physician, though not present for the procedure, does the interpretation while the technician performs the scan.
A The “incident to” rules have no relevance when you are billing for ultrasound procedures. The scan, when performed in your office, is comprised of 2 parts:
- a professional component, which consists of the physician’s interpretation of the results and his or her written report, and
- a technical component, consisting of the machine and supplies as well as the sonographer who performs the scan.
Therefore, when the ultrasound is performed in your office on your own equipment, you always bill the code under the physician’s number, without a modifier.