- Industry News
- Access and Reimbursement
- Law & Malpractice
- Coding & Documentation
- Practice Management
- Finance
- Technology
- Patient Engagement & Communications
- Billing & Collections
- Staffing & Salary
Admitting From the Office
I have a patient disputing a 99219 charge. We saw the patient in the office but admitted him directly to the hospital. We charged a 99219 for hospital admission. However, the patient was not seen at the hospital bedside; the physician dictated the history and physical before the patient left our office.
Question: I have a patient disputing a 99219 charge. We saw the patient in the office but admitted him directly to the hospital. We charged a 99219 for hospital admission. However, the patient was not seen at the hospital bedside; the physician dictated the history and physical before the patient left our office.
Answer: According to CPT’s introductory notes for initial hospital care, “When the patient is admitted to the hospital as an inpatient in the course of an encounter in another site of service (e.g., physician’s office) all evaluation and management services provided by that physician in conjunction with the admission are considered part of the initial hospital care when performed on the same date as the admission.”
In other words, it does not dictate that anything needs to be done or documented in the office or hospital, just that whatever you did can be counted toward the admit.
Perhaps you should call in someone from the hospital coding office to offer an objective opinion.
Asset Protection and Financial Planning
December 6th 2021Asset protection attorney and regular Physicians Practice contributor Ike Devji and Anthony Williams, an investment advisor representative and the founder and president of Mosaic Financial Associates, discuss the impact of COVID-19 on high-earner assets and financial planning, impending tax changes, common asset protection and wealth preservation mistakes high earners make, and more.
Reducing burnout with medical scribes
November 29th 2021Physicians Practice® spoke with Fernando Mendoza, MD, FAAP, FACEP, the founder and CEO of Scrivas, LLC, about the rising rates of reported burnout among physicians and how medical scribes might be able to alleviate some pressures from physicians.
