Billing for Comparison Views

Question:

Can we bill comparison in-office x-ray views (usually knees or elbows) if the patient is asymptomatic on the contralateral (opposing) side?

Answer:

Unless there is a medically necessary reason for the comparison views on the contralateral body part, they should not be billed separately. If documentation does support billing for both sides, select the CPT by number of views and add the appropriate modifier (e.g., 3 views of the left knee and 2 views of the right knee 73562 LT and 73560 RT).