Practice Management Alert

Avoid unnecessary stress this holiday season reporting reciprocal billing arrangements or locum tenens services for your physician with these seven tips:

1. Remember that reciprocal billing allows a physician to submit claims and receive Medicare payments for services that he or she has arranged for a substitute physician to provide on an occasional, reciprocal basis.

2. For services performed under a reciprocal billing agreement, use modifier -Q5 (Service furnished by a substitute physician under a reciprocal billing arrangement).

3. Locum tenens also allows the physician to receive payments for services another physician performs. But a locum tenens physician cannot work for another practice, and your physician cannot restrict the locum's services to your office.

4. When reporting locum tenens physician services, use modifier -Q6 (Service furnished by a locum tenens physician).

5. To use both -Q5 and -Q6, your physician must be unavailable to provide services. Your physician should be out of the office while the substitute physician provides services.

6. Medicare patients must have arranged to receive your physician's services beforehand in order for you to bill locum tenens.

7. Don't report -Q5 or -Q6 if your physician bills for services under a practice group number.