Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
CONSIDER BILLING BASED ON TIME
If the physician is talking to family members with a demented patient present, it may be difficult to separate out history from counseling, notes George Alex. The conversation may become more of a dialogue, and the physician may note in the chart that lengthy discussions were held with family members. In a lot of cases, the physician may spend most of the visit discussing options, including new drugs that are available, with the family members.
In this case, you should consider billing for the visit based on time, as counseling and coordination of care.
Also, some forms of dementia testing may straddle the lines between a mental status examination and a physical examination, and it may be easier to bill based on time. Otherwise, you may end up being forced to bill an unlisted E/M code , warns Alex.
Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert
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Don't Let History and Physical Drag Down Dementia Assessment Coding
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Can the Centers of Medicare & Medicare Services staunch the flood of imaging services ordered [...] - BALL "IN AMA'S COURT" ON E/M CODING
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Your Incident-To Services Could Spark An Unpleasant Incident
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According to an New York Times op-ed by radiologist David Levin, nonradiologists do poorly at [...] - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
Information Technology Will Lower Costs, Say Feds, MedPAC
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3 Expert Tips Upgrade Your Chest X-Ray Coding
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Help Your Patients Sign Up For Do-It-Yourself Drug Coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a demo program June 24 that plans [...]
