MnTwins29
True Blue
Our hospitalists will often be called to our BHU to evaluate the medical condition of patients there. If a patient is admitted to the BHU, later is transferred to med/surg to be treated for a medical condition and then back to BHU after the medical condition is stable, these are treated as separate admissions. So in this scenario, this would be three separate admissions in the EHR and for billing.
Where we have an issue with the hospitalists is this third admission back to the BHU. If the BHU admitting physician requests for the hospitalist to evaluate the patient, these are being coded as new patient visits (or consults for the few payers that still recognize these.) I maintain these should be subsequent visits as the hospitalist is familiar with the patient's condition and the admission/discharge is more for administrative and billing purposes because the patient never left the hospital - just units. Thoughts?
Where we have an issue with the hospitalists is this third admission back to the BHU. If the BHU admitting physician requests for the hospitalist to evaluate the patient, these are being coded as new patient visits (or consults for the few payers that still recognize these.) I maintain these should be subsequent visits as the hospitalist is familiar with the patient's condition and the admission/discharge is more for administrative and billing purposes because the patient never left the hospital - just units. Thoughts?