# consult



## charonate (May 19, 2008)

Patient was seen at the hospital for a consultation. Now patient is seen by the same consultating physician in the office, can I bill for office consultation.

Thank you,


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## jmann-francis (May 19, 2008)

*Consult*

Hi I wouldn't code a second consult for the outpatient visit.  The patient was seen by the practice within the last three years.


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## pkulczycki (May 19, 2008)

*need to bill established patient visit*

Hi,

Once your physician sees a patient in the hospital on a consult or a hospital visit, the patient is no longer a new patient.  To consider another consult, the primary care doctor/family doctor would have to "request" typically in writing another "consult" for an opinion.  If your physician is performing a follow up visit for the condition he had consulted the patient on in the hospital, then he should bill an established patient visit only.  

Remember consults have to be requested by another physician for an opinion, requires a letter back to the requesting physician, there must be documentation in the patient's chart stating there was a request for the consult.  If a patient requests a consult you must code an establishe patient if the physician saw the patient in the hospital. 

I hope this helps you.

pkulczycki


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## LOVE2CODE (May 19, 2008)

charonate said:


> Patient was seen at the hospital for a consultation. Now patient is seen by the same consultating physician in the office, can I bill for office consultation.
> 
> Thank you,



No you may not....Patient was already seen in hospital as a consult...Now you would bill pt as an establish pt.....


Hope this helps....

YTH, CPC


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## Jagadish (May 20, 2008)

As long as a service meets the official documentation requirement of 3R's, it can be billed as a consult, no matter how many times you see a patient earlier.


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## LOVE2CODE (May 20, 2008)

Jagadish said:


> As long as a service meets the official documentation requirement of 3R's, it can be billed as a consult, no matter how many times you see a patient earlier.





Sorry,
This is true if the consulting doc was not the ADMITTING DOC for the hosp stay.....


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