Question: Sometimes our pediatricians tell a new mom she can take her baby home the next day provided the newborn continues to stool and feed normally, and to have normal vital signs. The patient is then discharged from the hospital the next day without the physician seeing the patient. Our hospital compliance plan calls for using CMS guidelines across the board. Should I charge the discharge on the hospital discharge day or on the last day the physician saw the patient? Illinois Subscriber Answer: You should report 99238 (Hospital discharge day management; 30 minutes or less) or 99239 (... more than 30 minutes) on the day that the physician performed the last face-to-face service with the patient. "Discharge day management is a face-to-face E/M service between the attending physician and the patient," according to the Medicare Claims Processing Manual Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.2 (
www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12.pdf). "The E/M discharge day management [...]
