Wiki Discharge management

10marty

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My understanding is only the admitting MD can bill a 99238 or 99239. We are consultants and our MD's do discharge planning and instructions and feel they should be able to bill these codes. Are they correct?
 
Hospital Discharge Day Management

Per Medicare's Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12:
"Only the attending physician of record reports the discharge day management services. Physicians or other qualified nonphysicians practitioners , other than the attending physician, who have been managing concurrent health care problems not primarily managed by the attending physician, and who are not acting on behalf of the attending physician , shall use Subsequent Hospital Care (CPT code range 99231-99233) for a final visit.

Now having said that, is your physician consulant acting on behalf of the attending? Do you know if the attending is billing for a discharge? If the attending is billing a discharge then maybe your physician can bill a subsequent hospital visit based on counseling/coordination of care IF your physician consultant spends more than half of the time in counseling/coordination of care.

I hope that helps;)
 
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