Approach and extent errors
Resections coded with the wrong approach or extent. Coded from the operative report.
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Thoracic medical billing services
Thoracic surgery billing covers lung resections, esophageal procedures, chest wall and mediastinal surgery and VATS, with long global periods, bundling rules and frequent co-surgeon and assistant arrangements. Operative reports drive every code.
What makes thoracic billing different
General billers treat every specialty the same. These are the rules, code families and payer habits that decide whether thoracic claims pay the first time.
- Lung resection codes differ for open versus VATS approaches and by extent (wedge, segmentectomy, lobectomy, pneumonectomy).
- Co-surgeon (modifier 62) and assistant surgeon rules depend on the procedure and payer policy.
- 90-day global periods include post-operative care; unrelated and complication care require modifiers 24, 78 and 79.
- Mediastinoscopy, bronchoscopy and chest tube procedures bundle with surgeries on the same day under specific edits.
Denials we see most in thoracic
Every denial gets a root cause, a fix and a feedback loop, so the same denial stops coming back.
Co-surgeon denials
Modifier 62 denied for non-eligible procedures or missing documentation from both surgeons.
Same-day bundling
Bronchoscopy or chest tubes denied with the surgery. NCCI edits applied.
How Core MB bills for thoracic
A dedicated team that already knows your payers' rules, plus the reporting to prove it is working. Credentialing for new thoracic providers runs in the same system, tracked live in your client portal.
- Operative report-based coding by approach and extent.
- Co-surgeon and assistant rules verified per case and payer.
- Global period management across the 90-day window.
Everything in the service
The full revenue cycle as standard for thoracic practices, priced on what we collect for you. Take all of it, or start with one piece such as AR recovery or credentialing.
- Insurance verification and eligibility checks
- Charge entry and specialty-specific coding review
- Claim scrubbing and electronic submission
- Payer follow-up on every open claim
- Denial management and appeals
- Payment posting and reconciliation
- Accounts receivable recovery
- Patient statements and balance support
- Monthly reporting you can read in five minutes
- Provider credentialing and payer enrollment
Thoracic billing questions
How are lung resections coded?
By surgical approach — open or VATS — and by the extent of resection. Each combination has its own code, so we code from the operative report.
Do you handle co-surgeon billing?
Yes. Modifier 62 requires that the procedure allows co-surgeons and that both surgeons document their distinct work.
What about the 90-day global period?
Routine post-operative care is included. We track the window and apply modifiers only for unrelated or complication care.
How do we get started with Core MB for thoracic billing?
Send us your specialty, provider count and monthly claim volume through the quote form and we will come back with a written proposal. Transitions run alongside your current billing so nothing is dropped, and credentialing for new thoracic providers can start at the same time.
More in surgical and procedural
Find out what your thoracic billing is leaving on the table
Send us a snapshot of your current billing and we will come back with a quote and a realistic view of recoverable revenue.