What does modifier 22 indicate when reporting a procedure?

Modifier 22 is used in medical billing to indicate that a procedure required significantly more work than is typically performed for the same service. When this modifier is added to a CPT code, it signals to the payer that the complexity or difficulty of the procedure was greater than usual, which warrants extra payment for the additional effort expended by the healthcare provider.

This additional work could be due to a variety of factors, such as a patient presenting with complicating factors, an extended duration of the procedure, or additional tasks that were not anticipated when the procedure was initially defined. By using modifier 22, the provider communicates the necessity of higher reimbursement to reflect the increased resources utilized.

The other options in the question do not accurately capture the specific function of modifier 22. Unrelated procedures performed in the same session would typically utilize a different modifier, while reporting the same service with a different code would not involve modifier 22, and standard operating procedures do not pertain to modifier usage in current procedural terminology. Thus, the use of modifier 22 as an indication of additional work required is the correct and most relevant interpretation.