Advanced Search

Anesthesia Coding Alert

Reimbursement:

Billing Locum Tenens? Get Answers to Your Top 3 Questions.

Published on Sun May 13, 2012

Remember Q6 belongs with physicians, not CRNAs. One of your anesthesiologists schedules a leave of absence because of illness, travel, or some other reason. If your group hires someone to fill in until he returns, it's time to brush up on answers to some of the most common locum tenens questions. 1. What Does "Locum Tenens" Mean? The term "locum tenens" literally means "placeholder," and refers to a person who temporarily takes the place of another. In the medical world, locum tenens physicians temporarily take the place of another physician to handle that workload for a certain period of time. Heads up: Medicare has a 60-day limit for a locum tenens physician. Your practice cannot extend this time period, according to the Medicare Claims Processing Manual (Chapter 1, Section 30.2.11). 2. How Do We Code for Locum Tenens Service? HCPCS includes a modifier that immediately lets payers know that you're [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Anesthesia Coding Alert

View All