Coding Corner:
Capitalize on Physician's After Hours Services
Published on Mon Jun 22, 2009
Show your payer the cost of not paying on after-hours codes. If your practice is open during "non-traditional" hours, or your physician provides after-hours services to a patient, and you aren't billing for those "extra" services, your practice may be missing out on additional reimbursement. To make sure you're bringing in every dollar your physicians deserve, you need to know the proper codes to bill for after-hours services, as well as what qualifies as "after-hours." Let the Clock Determine 99050 vs. 99051 If your physician sees a patient in the office during hours when the practice would normally be closed, such as on weekends or after 6 p.m., CPT guidelines allow you to bill 99050 (Services provided in the office at times other than regularly scheduled office hours, or days when the office is normally closed [e.g., holidays, Saturday or Sunday], in addition to basic service) as long as the [...]