tci Part B Insider - 2008 Issue 39

Part B Mythbuster: Use Caution When Reporting 90846 for Family Counseling

Medicare carriers require treatment of a mental health condition.Myth: You can report a mental health counseling code any time you're counseling a patient's family member without the patient present.Reality: Code 90846 (Family psychotherapy [without the patient present]) is specific to psychiatric services and does not always properly describe time the physician spends discussing a patient's condition.Scenario: The wife of a Medicare patient presents for an appointment to discuss her husband's condition without him present because he is very sick and cannot come in. Medicare requires a face-to-face visit to report an E/M visit, so the practice...

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