Physician supervision

Why This Topic Matters

The guidance affects how cardiology practices structure staffing and supervision for diagnostic testing under Medicare. It also helps coders and compliance staff recognize which broad service groups are covered by the new supervision framework and which settings are not affected.

Article Sections

1. Medicare supervision update for cardiology diagnostic tests

   Introduces the new Medicare supervision framework and explains that it applies to a large set of diagnostic tests, with emphasis on cardiology-related services. It also summarizes the article’s focus on changes in the non-hospital environment.

2. Cardiology-related test categories and supervision levels

   Presents the broad categories of cardiology diagnostic services discussed in the article and the supervision level assigned to each category. The section also notes that some individual tests and reporting-related services are treated differently within those groups.

3. Incident-to provision and setting-specific applicability

   Explains how the Medicare incident-to framework relates to physician availability for certain services and distinguishes diagnostic testing from other physician services. It also addresses where the supervision rules apply and where they do not.

4. Medicare’s three levels of physician supervision

   Defines the three supervision levels used in the Medicare framework and describes how they differ in terms of physician presence and availability. The section is limited to the general supervision structure.

5. Source: Program Memo B-01-28 and the ACC

   Identifies the source references cited at the end of the article.