decisionhealth Newsletters, Answer Books - 2009 Issue 9 (September)
Counseling, Coordination of Care / Counseling, Coordination of Care
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Article Overview
This article covers coding guidance for visits where counseling or coordination of care is the primary service, with emphasis on documentation, time-based reporting, and special situations in which the patient is not directly present. It is relevant to physicians, coders, billing staff, and compliance teams working with evaluation and management services in office and hospital settings. The discussion also addresses payer handling, Medicare-related exceptions, and the role of non-physician staff in service leveling.
Why This Topic Matters
These visits are common in complex care settings and can affect how evaluation and management services are documented and reported. Understanding the scope of the guidance helps reduce coding errors when counseling, care coordination, or family involvement is central to the encounter.
Article Sections
-
Counseling and coordination of care visits
Introduces visits in which counseling or coordination of care is the primary service and discusses general documentation considerations for time-based reporting.
-
Family-member situations and Medicare-related exceptions
Addresses circumstances involving communication with family members when the patient is not present and describes the general setting in which exceptions may apply.
-
Documentation, medical necessity, and non-physician staff
Reviews the need for documentation, medical necessity, and how services provided by nursing or other staff relate to coding the encounter.
What You Will Learn
- How counseling and coordination of care visits are generally identified for evaluation and management reporting
- What documentation considerations are emphasized for time-based encounters
- Which broad situations involving family members are discussed in the article
- How the article distinguishes physician counseling from counseling by other staff
- What types of documentation support are highlighted for payer review
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Physicians
- Practice managers
- Compliance professionals
Codes Discussed
Code Ranges Discussed
Subscribe or sign in to view the full article.
Quick, Current, Complete - www.findacode.com