Doc to doc: Use of interprofessional consults surged in 2020

Why This Topic Matters

Interprofessional consultation services are a small but growing part of physician reporting, and changes in utilization can affect documentation awareness, billing patterns, and revenue integrity. The article helps readers understand how Medicare claims patterns evolved and why those changes may matter for practices that use consultative communication services.

Article Sections

1. Overview of 2020 utilization trends

   Introduces the overall increase in communication-based physician services and places the discussion in the context of Medicare claims data.

2. Medicare interprofessional consultation codes and claims comparison

   Presents the Medicare Part B claims comparison for interprofessional consultation services across the two reporting years and notes the related payment-status background.

3. Observed patterns in claims activity

   Summarizes broad utilization patterns across the service group, including relative growth among categories and differences in reporting volume.

4. Context for the increase

   Discusses possible general factors associated with the reporting increase and mentions the stability of fees over the period.