# Family Counseling code 90849



## mjewett (May 4, 2009)

Our clinical social worker started provided family counseling. Code 90849, How do we bill for this?  Do we bill the patient's insurance, or each family member who attends?  I am new to this, we are a general surgery practice, who now employs a clinical social worker to counsel our bariatric patients pre-and post surgery.

Thanks,
Melissa


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## 1073358 (May 5, 2009)

90849 is MULTI family couseling. Are you aware of that? If it is just one family with the patient, then it would be 90847.

You would just bill the code one time to the patient who had the surgery.

Focus of this session needs to be on how patients issue affects the family/interaction. This isn't just counseling for the patient while family is merely present.


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## mjewett (May 5, 2009)

*Multi  family counseling*

I didn't specify that, it is for multi family counseling. We have a large number of bariatric patients and there family members attend couseling. The family members are there to learn ways to support there family member in the life changes they need to make, whether it is emotionally, or physically. For example if a man has bariatric surgery, but his wife food shops and prepares all the meals she must comit to changes in her behavior to support her husband. 

Thanks for your response. So we will bill it under the patient, just one unit. 

Melissa


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