Wiki Code 99211 - If a nurse sees

[stlbill511]

If a nurse sees the patient and documents the chief complaint and takes vitals but then the patient could not leave a urine drug screen and walked out before being seen by the physician, can we bill a 99211 for the nurses part? Does the physician need to sign off on the notes since we would be billing under his NPI?

Thanks

Caroline Chafin

 

[mitchellde]

No you cannot bill a 99211. To bill a 99211 for only the nurse to see the patient the visit must meet the incident to definition. Meaning the physician must have visited with the patient in a previous encounter for this same reason and there must be a plan of care in the chart to include this visit as a return for the same reason.

 

[stlbill511]

Code 99211

The patient has been seen previously for the same reason by the physician. The patient was supposed to have been seen by the physician on this visit, but she could not give a urine sample and so walked out without being seen by the physician. Can we bill for the time the nurse spent with the patient taking vitals and talking to the patient?

 

[mitchellde]

Only if there is a plan of care in that previous visit for the patient to return for follow up