Death pronouncement can be reported with discharge day management codes (99238-99239), but only when this service involves a physician-patient encounter. Physicians should report the most appropriate discharge code on the actual day of pronouncement.
Shared/Split Services
Shared/split Medicare services occur when two providers from the same specialty and group practice perform a portion of a facility-based (outpatient hospital, inpatient hospital, or ED) patient encounter on the same day. One provider must be a physician; the other must be a qualified and certified NPP (e.g., nurse practitioner, physician assistant, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse midwife).
The culmination of the two portions of service must fulfill the requirements of a single E/M service (consultations, critical care, and other time-based services excluded). The physician has the option to report the shared/split service to Medicare under their name for 100% of the allowable reimbursement rate, or under the NPP’s name for 85% of the allowable reimbursement rate.
In order to utilize this billing model, the physician and the NPP must provide a face-to-face encounter on the same day. If there is no face-to-face encounter between the patient and the physician, then the service can only be billed under the NPP’s name at 85% of the allowable reimbursement rate.3
Documentation must clearly identify each provider involved in the shared/split service, along with the presence and the portion of each individual’s service. The NPP and the physician should each indicate the extent of their involvement (e.g., “Patient seen and examined by me … ”) in the patient’s care and sign their portion of the note. If the NPP and physician each write a separate note, each note should refer to the other provider. That way, the supporting documentation for the service rendered encompasses the summation of both notes.4
Teaching Physician Services
A different type of shared service can occur under the teaching physician rules, whereby an attending physician and a “resident” are involved in the same patient encounter. The term “resident” also includes interns and fellows in recognized graduate medical education (GME) programs, as approved for purposes of direct GME payments made by the fiscal intermediary.5 As with services shared with NPPs, the attending physician must provide a face-to-face encounter and participate in a key portion of the service.
The attending physician can perform their portion of the service concurrently or independent of the resident but is allowed to discuss the case (teaching service) with the resident, as appropriate. If the attending physician does not physically see the patient, the service cannot be reported. Payment is made only for the teaching physician’s involvement in the patient’s care.
Instead of detailing the entire encounter, the teaching physician should write a short, legible linking or tethering statement specifically referencing the resident’s note. Physicians must demonstrate their physical presence (e.g., “Patient seen and examined by me. Agree with note by Dr. Jones”) and comment on the patient’s evaluation and their active involvement in the care plan.6 TH
Carol Pohlig is a billing and coding expert with the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia. She is faculty for SHM’s inpatient coding course.
References
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual: Chapter 12, Section 30.6.15.1C. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Web site. Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12. pdf. Accessed July 5, 2009.
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual: Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.2B. CMS Web site. Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12. pdf. Accessed July 5, 2009.
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual: Chapter 12, Section 30.6.1B. CMS Web site. Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12. pdf. Accessed July 5, 2009.
- Pohlig, C. Nonphysician Providers in Your Practice. In: Coding for Chest Medicine 2009. Northbrook, IL: American College of Chest Physicians, 2008;265-271.
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual: Chapter 12, Section 100. CMS Web site. Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12. pdf. Accessed July 5, 2009.
- Manaker, S. Teaching Physician Regulations. In: Coding for Chest Medicine 2009. Northbrook, IL: American College of Chest Physicians, 2008;299-305.
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual: Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.1D. CMS Web site. Available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c12. pdf. Accessed July 5, 2009.
- Beebe M, Dalton J, Espronceda M, Evans D, Glenn R. Current Procedural Terminology Professional Edition. Chicago: American Medical Association Press; 2008.