# Billing for Telephone Conversations



## jennyifer (Aug 30, 2011)

Here is an interesting one...

The physician wants to bill a telephone conversation with the patient's employer's lawyer. Their conversation went over the chronology of events from the initial visit through present day visits. There is no documentation for how much time he spent on the phone and wants to bill this to workers comp.

I am pretty sure this is un-billable, but I wanted everyone's opinion on this. Thanks for looking


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## gail (Sep 1, 2011)

Bill the attorney directly; you can use 99075, medical testimony, and bill a flat fee.  Next time, make sure you have an arrangement/agreement with the attorney prior to the phone call---that he will accept the billing for the doctor's time.  I don't think W/C will reimburse for the patient's attorney---they are on opposite sides of the table!


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## ppt (Sep 2, 2011)

you can bill WC directly for that conversation.  i believe 99361 is the code for WC. go to DWC website for OMFS.  You also can ask the atty to forward the bill to his client ( WC ins).  Most the time, they would do it.


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## FTessaBartels (Sep 12, 2011)

*Not treatment*

A discussion with the patient's attorney is not medical treatment.  I would invoice the attorney's office directly, having notified him/her at the beginning of the conversation what my fee is for this service.  

One surgeon I know charges $500 for reports to attorneys, whether in writing or via phone. If a deposition is required the fee starts at the $500 and increases based on length of time. 

Hope that helps.

F Tessa Bartels, CPC, CEMC


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## kellyross (Sep 15, 2011)

*BWC Telephone Conf. Codes*

I am not sure what state you are billing for - but we are in Ohio and we received a BWC Policy Alert  which showed that CPT Codes 99371 - 99373 are still being used by BWC.  They have not adopted the new CPT codes yet.

The Policy alert states that the telephone calls must be medically necessary and/or contribute to the overall care of the injured worker.  Medical record documentation to support the billed CPT codes is required to record the pertinent facts and findings including a brief description of the conversation between the Injured Worker and/or the Employer, and the Provider.

The phone consult may not be within 7 days of the last office visit nor leading to an office visit within the next 24 hours. 

You should consult your BWC Billing & Reimbursement Manual and Medical Documentation Policy for your state to clarify as many states are different.  

I wouldn't recommend billing an attorney without an agreement in place prior to the conversation.


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