Internal Medicine Coding Alert

Question:

Florida Subscriber

Practices sometimes wonder which of their staff might count as the "qualified non-physician health care professionals" mentioned in code 98960 (Education and training for patient self-management by a qualified nonphysician healthcare professional using a standardized curriculum, face-to-face with the patient [could include caregiver/family] each 30 minutes; individual patient). A respiratory therapist qualifies, so it stands to reason that a nurse trained in asthma education could also meet the criteria. Check with your state society about what scope of practice laws encompass, then discuss the matter with your individual payers.