Question: Our surgeons sometimes "standby" for other surgeons in some high-risk procedures or cases. They want to code for their time, and we want to use 99360. How should they document their time to be able to charge 99360?
Answer: CMS and many other payers don't pay for 99360 (Physician standby service, requiring prolonged physician attendance, each 30 minutes [e.g., operative standby, standby for frozen section, for cesarean/high risk delivery, for monitoring EEG]), so the physician may not be able to charge for standby time.
Some payers might pay on 99360, however. If a third party payer does reimburse for 99360, then be sure the physician has documented the standby service with something such as: I was requested by [DOCTOR'S NAME] to be on standby for trauma surgery performed on [PATIENT'S NAME] on [DATE]. I arrived at the facility at [ARRIVAL TIME] and departed at [DEPARTURE TIME].
Note: When standby care is requested, both the requesting physician and providing physician must document the need for standby care regardless of whether a claim for reimbursement is submitted.
If you submit a claim, be sure to follow the CPT® guidelines for 99360, which include:
Important: If the physician is called upon during the procedure to actually assist with or perform a procedure, you should bill for the service provided rather than reporting the standby service using 99360.
