Wiki direct supervision

[turnerdc@gmail.com]

A physician has to provide direct supervision...what if the injection or nurse visit is done in the office but the physician is in the ambulatory surgery suite located down the hall at the same address does this consitute "direct supervision"? This has been a very confusing issue for us. The ambulatory surgery suite is also connected to our intercom and phone system. If we bill under his name when he is in that suite are we billing incorrect in this situation? Thanks for any input

 

[mitchellde]

direct supervision in the office setting means the provider must be in the defined office suite area. From your description, he is not in the defined office suite area so no it should not be billed under his NPI and the provisions for direct supervision have not been met. We always referred to it as "yelling" distance, if the provider can open a patient room door and come immediately to your side it is direct supervision in the office.