Wiki Group counseling session for pain management md

[klamond]

I have a pain management MD that wants to start billing for "group counseling sessions" where she would have about six patients sit in for her to educate them on back pain prevention, use of anti-inflammatories, etc. She thinks she could bill a low level E&M. Does anyone have an experience in this and can point me in the right direction? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SharonCollachi]

There is nothing "counseling" about that. It's education, in the form of a lecture, and unless something has changed, it's not covered by insurance. "Counseling" is an interactive process by which a patient or group of patients have a similar problem that would benefit from psychotherapy.

My provider (pain management) is always trying to educate patients during an office visit on pain, mechanism of pain, interaction of opioids and glial cells, and the patients don't want to hear it.

I would suggest printed handouts.

 

[klamond]

There is nothing "counseling" about that. It's education, in the form of a lecture, and unless something has changed, it's not covered by insurance. "Counseling" is an interactive process by which a patient or group of patients have a similar problem that would benefit from psychotherapy.

My provider (pain management) is always trying to educate patients during an office visit on pain, mechanism of pain, interaction of opioids and glial cells, and the patients don't want to hear it.

I would suggest printed handouts.

Thank you for the feedback.