Otolaryngology Coding Alert

uestion: A new physician joined our practice. He is seeing a patient that he has never seen, but other physicians in the practice have seen the patient. Can the new physician bill a new patient evaluation and management (E/M) code?

New Mexico Subscriber

Answer: If the physician is in the same practice and is operating under the same group tax identification number (as is usually the case) and works in the same medical specialty (including subspecialties), he or she cannot bill a new patient E/M code, says Ann Hughes, a coding specialist with Mid-Vermont ENT in Rutland, Vt. If another physician in the practice has not seen the patient within the past three years, however, the new physician can bill the new patient visit.