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Question: A patient presented bleeding from both nostrils and received treatment. Are nosebleed treatment codes per nostril or for the whole nose?

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Answer: Nosebleed treatment codes are unilateral. Codes 30901 (Control nasal hemorrhage, anterior, simple (limited cautery and/or packing) any method) and 30903 (Control nasal hemorrhage, anterior, complex (extensive cautery and/or packing) any method) represent treatment on one nostril. You鈥檒l see in the Notes for both of these codes the directive 鈥�(To report bilateral procedure, use 30901 with modifier 50).鈥�

Therefore, if your physician performs nosebleed treatment on both nostrils, you should report 30901 or 30903 with modifier 50 (Bilateral procedure) attached. If you鈥檙e well-versed in the patient鈥檚 respective payer preferences, you may have other options: You can use modifier XS (Separate structure 鈥�) for Medicaid or payers that recognize Medicare guidelines, modifier 59 (Distinct procedural service), or the appropriate LT (Left side 鈥�) and RT (Right side 鈥�) modifiers (such as 30903-LT and 30901-RT). Check in with the payer to make sure you鈥檙e coding the claim in a way that reduces the chance of a denial.

Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Development Editor, AAPC