My understanding is that in a teaching facility surgeons are to utilize qualified residents as their surigcal assistants when available. When not available and PAs or other MDs/DOs are used, there needs to be documentation in the op report as to why a resident was not used and you append the modifier 82 to the assistants charges.
Unless the surgeon has an across the board policy stating they do not use residents.
Is this correct? Can you have an across the board policy?
Now in my situation I have a group of surgeons that fall into both of the above categories.
This is a teaching facility but they don't have a cardiovascular program, so there are never qualified residents for those procedures. There is a general surgery program, so when the surgeons are doing thoracic cases they will use the residents if they are available (according to the surgeons they are rarely available).
What I would like to do is have an across the board policy stating residents are never used in cardiovascular cases. Then the providers are going to have document on each thoracic case why they didn't use a resident.
I am getting direction from a coding/compliance consultant on a national level that we can't do that, they need to document on every case since we can't have a true across the board policy.
I am just looking for other opinions/experiences and any guidelines that would support this either way. I don't personally care which way they need to do it, I just need to make sure it is correct before I present it. I have a lot of problems with these providers and getting them to follow the rules.
Thanks
Laura, CPC, CEMC
Unless the surgeon has an across the board policy stating they do not use residents.
Is this correct? Can you have an across the board policy?
Now in my situation I have a group of surgeons that fall into both of the above categories.
This is a teaching facility but they don't have a cardiovascular program, so there are never qualified residents for those procedures. There is a general surgery program, so when the surgeons are doing thoracic cases they will use the residents if they are available (according to the surgeons they are rarely available).
What I would like to do is have an across the board policy stating residents are never used in cardiovascular cases. Then the providers are going to have document on each thoracic case why they didn't use a resident.
I am getting direction from a coding/compliance consultant on a national level that we can't do that, they need to document on every case since we can't have a true across the board policy.
I am just looking for other opinions/experiences and any guidelines that would support this either way. I don't personally care which way they need to do it, I just need to make sure it is correct before I present it. I have a lot of problems with these providers and getting them to follow the rules.
Thanks
Laura, CPC, CEMC