decisionhealth Newsletters, Coder Pink Sheets - 2009 Issue 7 (July)
Ask Joan - Ultrasounds: When to bill global, -TC or -26
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This Q&A article addresses billing and documentation considerations for office-performed diagnostic ultrasound when the practice owns the equipment and uses a non-employee technician. It is aimed at coders, billers, and physicians who need to understand the difference between global reporting, technical component reporting, and professional component reporting, along with the documentation expectations tied to those service components. The discussion also references ACR and Medicare guidance that informs how imaging reports are documented and supported.
Why This Topic Matters
Understanding whether an ultrasound encounter supports global billing or only a component claim affects compliance, claim accuracy, and documentation integrity for office-based imaging services.
Article Sections
-
Question
Introduces a coding question about office-based ultrasound services and how the practice arrangement affects reporting options.
-
Answer
Summarizes the billing options discussed and frames the relationship between documentation and the service components involved.
-
Professional component documentation
Reviews the documentation expectations associated with professional interpretation of diagnostic imaging and references general reporting standards.
-
Technical component considerations
Describes the broad cost elements involved in performing a diagnostic imaging study and discusses how staffing arrangements may affect reporting of the technical side of the service.
-
Purchased technical service distinction
Explains the difference between a practice-performed technical service arrangement and a purchased technical service model.
What You Will Learn
- How office ultrasound services are discussed in terms of global, technical, and professional reporting
- What types of documentation are associated with the professional component of diagnostic imaging
- Which broad operational costs are part of the technical component
- How a non-employee technician arrangement differs from a purchased technical service model
- Which general guidance sources are referenced for imaging documentation standards
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Physicians
- Practice managers
- Diagnostic imaging staff
Modifiers Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com