Filing Claims for Surgical Bilateral Services
When filing claims for surgical bilateral services, please bill on two service lines. Bilateral services may be represented using either modifier code 50 or the RT and LT modifiers.
Modifier code 50
Modifier code 50 represents bilateral surgery performed in the same operative session. The bilateral surgery may be performed through the same incision or on separate body parts.
Modifier code 50 should not be used to represent bilateral services when the CPT code already describes the services as being bilateral, or as being either bilateral or unilateral.
If using modifier 50 to show a bilateral service, bill as follows:
| Line 1 | xxxxx |
| Line 2 | xxxxx- 50 |
Plan benefits will be applied based on the eligible charge for the service as follows:
| Line 1 | 100 percent of the eligible charge |
| Line 2 | 50 percent of the eligible charge |
RT and LT modifiers
Site-specific modifiers RT and LT modifiers are preferred by HMSA for representing bilateral services.
If using modifiers RT and LT to show a bilateral service, bill as follows:
| Line 1 | xxxxx- RT |
| Line 2 | xxxxx- LT |
Plan benefits will be applied based on the eligible charge for the service as follows:
| Line 1 | 100 percent of the eligible charge |
| Line 2 | 50 percent of the eligible charge |
Revision History
| Date | Nature of Revision |
|---|---|
| 08/03/2026 | Migrated to new platform |