Billing and Coding: JW and JZ Modifier Billing Guidelines

Medicare allows payment for discarded amounts of drugs/biologics from single-use vials when the remainder must be discarded, provided providers document dose administered, amount wasted, and vial total, and bill discarded amounts using the JW modifier on a separate line. Multi-use vials are not eligible for wastage payment, JW is prohibited when the administered dose is less than the billing unit, and effective July 1, 2023 all single-dose-container claims with no waste must include the JZ modifier.

"Medicare may cover the discarded amount of a drug or biological when a provider must discard the remainder of a single-use vial or single-use package after administering a dose to a Medicare patient."

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