AMA Clinical Examples in Radiology - 2007 Bulletin 2
Medicare Allows Charging for Missed Appointments
Medicare Allows Charging for Missed Appointments The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a policy that will allow physicians to charge Medicare patients for missed appointments (see Transmittal 1279). As of October 1, 2007, Medicare has allowed physicians to charge for a missed business opportunity, although not for the actual service missed. Physicians are expected to enforce this policy equally for all patients; that is, they must charge non-Medicare and Medicare patients alike for missed appointments. CMS has directed providers to collect this payment directly from the Medicare beneficiaries, as CMS will not make the payment and...
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This brief article summarizes a CMS policy update affecting how physicians may handle missed appointments for Medicare patients. It is relevant to billing staff, coders, and practice administrators who need to understand the general Medicare guidance, the role of CMS transmittals, and the operational impact on patient collections and claims processing.
Why This Topic Matters
Missed-appointment billing policies can affect patient communication, office procedures, and Medicare claim handling. Understanding the CMS guidance helps practices align their internal policies with Medicare requirements.
What You Will Learn
- The scope of the Medicare policy update on missed appointments
- How CMS guidance affects provider billing workflows
- What general compliance considerations apply when handling patient collections for missed visits
- How the policy is presented in the context of radiology clinical examples
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Practice administrators
- Radiology office managers
- Compliance staff
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com
