Colliemom
Expert
My supervisor and I are once again having a debate about consultations with a diagnosis of screening for colon cancer. I am looking for educted opinions on this subject.
When a PCP sends a patient to our practice because the patient is now 51 years old and needs a screening colonoscopy can we bill a consultation? If our physician is seeing the patient at the Request of another physcian, and he is Rendering the service by perfoming the visit, and he is sending back a Report to the referring physician then haven't the 3 "R's" been met to qualify the visit as a consultation?
Also, our physician will be performing a colonoscopy, does this mean he can no longer bill the visit as a consultation? Does performing the procedure mean he is assuming care of the patient? Or does the fact that he is only doing the procedure and then referring the patient back to her PCP mean our physician is not "taking over the care" of the patient?
What does your practice do in these cases? Do you bill a consultation or a new patient visit? Or do you see the patient prior to the procedure for free, by not submitting the billing to the insurance company for the initial visit?
When a PCP sends a patient to our practice because the patient is now 51 years old and needs a screening colonoscopy can we bill a consultation? If our physician is seeing the patient at the Request of another physcian, and he is Rendering the service by perfoming the visit, and he is sending back a Report to the referring physician then haven't the 3 "R's" been met to qualify the visit as a consultation?
Also, our physician will be performing a colonoscopy, does this mean he can no longer bill the visit as a consultation? Does performing the procedure mean he is assuming care of the patient? Or does the fact that he is only doing the procedure and then referring the patient back to her PCP mean our physician is not "taking over the care" of the patient?
What does your practice do in these cases? Do you bill a consultation or a new patient visit? Or do you see the patient prior to the procedure for free, by not submitting the billing to the insurance company for the initial visit?
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