Discharge Billing

Our physician frequently leaves orders for a patient to be discharged from the hospital the following day. He does not see the patient on the day she actually leaves the hospital. How do I bill the discharge?

Question: Our physician frequently leaves orders for a patient to be discharged from the hospital the following day. He does not see the patient on the day she actually leaves the hospital. How do I bill the discharge?

Answer: Charge for the discharge on the day the physician saw the patient. It is common practice for many physicians to write the discharge order the evening before the patient goes home.