Neurosurgery Coding: 99441-99443 & Phone Call Pay

By Author: erinarticle
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With this guidance, you don't need to fret over applying proper codes.


Here's a quick refresher on an evaluation & management service items that could lead to claim delays if you are not up to speed on ways to factor in your neurosurgeon's time spent on inpatient discharges and how to report phone use.


Phone Call Pay


A physician told my surgeon that he is getting payment from his contractor for telephone calling codes. My surgeon would like to begin using these codes too. So does Medicare pay for telephone calls?


Well, Medicare takes these telephone call codes 99441-99443 to be non-covered services.


Where to find a code's status: You can find a code's status in column D of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.


Your doctor is technically getting paid for telephone calls made in relation to performed office visits. According to the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 15, Section 30 (Physician Services), Subsection B, Telephone Services, the physician work resulting from telephone calls ...
... is considered to be an integral part of the pre-service and post-service work of other physician services, and the fee schedule amount for the latter services already includes payment for the telephone calls.


The relative value units (RVUs) for office visits include time for work that's spent prior to and after the visit on items like pulling the chart, reviewing lab results and calling the patient. As the fee schedule includes relative values for 99441-99443, some private and other public payers may pay for the codes; however remember that the guidelines are very particular for reporting these codes. The patient must be established to the practice, must have initiated the call to the doctor and the information discussed can't be directly related to a visit seven or less days prior to the phone call. What's more, the call can't take place when the patient makes an appointment to see the doctor pertaining to the health issue within 24 hours.


For further details on this and for other specialty-specific articles to assist your neurosurgery coding, sign up for a good medical coding resource like Coding Institute.