jmj11 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 As you know Medicare has established CPT codes for physician and non-physician (including us) for phone calls. These are no reimbursed by Medicare or insurances, but you can bill the patients. Any experience in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 As you know Medicare has established CPT codes for physician and non-physician (including us) for phone calls. These are no reimbursed by Medicare or insurances, but you can bill the patients. Any experience in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 As you know Medicare has established CPT codes for physician and non-physician (including us) for phone calls. These are no reimbursed by Medicare or insurances, but you can bill the patients. Any experience in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdenning Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We have a code for doing forms....can't remember what it is off hand. I spend an INORDINATE amount of time on the phone with patients/families/home health etc. Very difficult to bill and get anything reimbursed. The only way we've been able to swing it is that our hospital affiliate (and therefore the big name on our "center") pays for something like 30 hours per month of my time specifically for this.....I have to keep a monthly log (such fun) and submit it to accounts payable. Not much help, I know, but that's how we get around things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdenning Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We have a code for doing forms....can't remember what it is off hand. I spend an INORDINATE amount of time on the phone with patients/families/home health etc. Very difficult to bill and get anything reimbursed. The only way we've been able to swing it is that our hospital affiliate (and therefore the big name on our "center") pays for something like 30 hours per month of my time specifically for this.....I have to keep a monthly log (such fun) and submit it to accounts payable. Not much help, I know, but that's how we get around things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdenning Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 We have a code for doing forms....can't remember what it is off hand. I spend an INORDINATE amount of time on the phone with patients/families/home health etc. Very difficult to bill and get anything reimbursed. The only way we've been able to swing it is that our hospital affiliate (and therefore the big name on our "center") pays for something like 30 hours per month of my time specifically for this.....I have to keep a monthly log (such fun) and submit it to accounts payable. Not much help, I know, but that's how we get around things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Some private practices are putting signs up in their offices that basically read this " There will be a 5/10 dollar charge for any Rx renewal by phone, which your ins will NOT pay"...many docs are moving away from this b/c they want to see the pt too..lawsuits, walk in fee...one doc in my area will give you your lab/XR result by mail..it frees up phone call time..or have the pt call in for their results and talk to a nurse vs the doc/midlevel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Some private practices are putting signs up in their offices that basically read this " There will be a 5/10 dollar charge for any Rx renewal by phone, which your ins will NOT pay"...many docs are moving away from this b/c they want to see the pt too..lawsuits, walk in fee...one doc in my area will give you your lab/XR result by mail..it frees up phone call time..or have the pt call in for their results and talk to a nurse vs the doc/midlevel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdenning Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Just found this - 99372 is the billing code for "phone consult" but I don't know any details about time/cost etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdenning Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Just found this - 99372 is the billing code for "phone consult" but I don't know any details about time/cost etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I believe some plans will reimburse, others don't ... pretty sure Medicare does not. I've been looking into this as well ... I've implemented a rule that no phone calls (unless emergencies) come to me until the end of the day. I can't chart or concentrate when I'm bombarded by 6 requests in between each patient ... I figure the patients who actually made the effort to come in get first priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwbedu Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 I am doing some part-time work in a small hospital admin, and this issue is actually becoming more important as doctors and patients use smartphones and ipads to communicate with each other. There is also the obvious HIPAA issues, but from a billing stand point doctors are having a difficult time figuring out how and when to charge for a phone call from a patient. I think that in the future you will actually see some apps that will help address this issue, since it is part of the whole BYOD (bring your own device) issue that medical IT and admin is having to deal with on a daily basis. I have some other questions on this issue and will start a thread about it, but a friend in IT is telling me that smartphones are making it difficult for both doctors and hospitals to bill for the minutes of a doctors time that are used by calls to doctors, as well as emails and text messages not just from patients, but from other doctors as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaven32 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Hi,"The only way we have been able to swing it is that our hospital affiliate and therefore the big name on our "center" pays for something like 30 hours per month of my time specifically for this, I have to keep a monthly log such fun and submit it to accounts payable". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durgaprasadzone Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 thanks for info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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