Family physicians often perform multiple services in a single patient encounter. This provides access to comprehensive care with a convenience that both the physician and patient appreciate. But physicians do not get paid for all of their work if they don't attach the correct modifiers in the office encounter.

Modifiers have many purposes and applications. They can indicate when an encounter has both professional and technical components, when a procedure was partially completed or discontinued, and when multiple procedures or services are provided on the same date. Using a modifier does not always result in physicians receiving complete reimbursement for every service as requested, but may allow for at least partial payment. Some estimates indicate that missed modifiers could result in up to $120 of lost revenue per applicable visit.¹ This can be very costly when you consider that family physicians see 60–80 office visits per week on average.²

This article explains how to use some of the modifiers most common in primary care, which are also listed in Table 1.