October 2017
Already effective January 1, 2018, BCBSRI requires preauthorization for the listed high-tech radiology imaging codes for BlueCHiP for Medicare, and recommends it for commercial products, through the BCBSRI Radiology Management program vendor. Modifier 59 is used only when no more descriptive modifier applies, radiologic guidance codes are not reported separately when the procedure code already includes that guidance, and CPT 76882 is bundled into 20606 while CPT 29820 is bundled into 29827 for the same shoulder. The October 2017 EDI HIPAA translator update enforces stricter X12 edits, so files with validation errors receive a 997 with an Ak3 segment, and files that are not corrected receive a 999 response.