# discharge and readmited on same day



## valleycoder (Apr 24, 2008)

any recommendations on how to bill for a patient who was discharged at 3pm but returned on same day at 10pm and was readmitted for same diagnosis?  should i bill the discharge only....or an admit only......subsequent???

a little confused!


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## Jagadish (Apr 24, 2008)

Please check the follwoing:

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Transmittals/...ds/R1465CP.pdf


E. Physician Services Involving Transfer From One Hospital to Another; Transfer Within Facility to Prospective Payment System (PPS) Exempt Unit of Hospital; Transfer From One Facility to Another Separate Entity Under Same Ownership and/or Part of Same Complex; or Transfer From One Department to Another Within Single Facility
Physicians may bill both the hospital discharge management code and an initial hospital care code when the discharge and admission do not occur on the same day if the transfer is between:
• Different hospitals;
• Different facilities under common ownership which do not have merged records; or
• Between the acute care hospital and a PPS exempt unit within the same hospital when there are no merged records.
In all other transfer circumstances, the physician should bill only the appropriate level of subsequent hospital care for the date of transfer.


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## valleycoder (Apr 25, 2008)

thanks for the help!!!


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## smwermter (Jun 25, 2008)

1015378~What did you end up doing for this situation?  We are having the same issue, discharge and readmit same day by different physicians.  Help!


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## Lisa Bledsoe (Jun 25, 2008)

I believe that if the discharge and re-admit occur on the same date, and the doctor(s) involved are either in the same practice or covering call for each other, a subsequent visit is in order.  You would combine the documentation for both the discharge and the re-admit into one subsequent code...  This would follow the same lines as if a patient is seen in the office and then admitted - you only code the admit.  Does that sound right to everyone (or anyone)?


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