Cardiologist Billing

[dfranklin]

For someone new to cardiology billing where would you recommend they turn to to research and learn what would be required for this specialty?

I have a potential cardio asking me these many questions:

Example;

If a Cardiologist is on call for a hospital and then sees the patients in the hospital but only once or twice how does that get billed? How does the doctor get all the patient info, demographics etc? Since the patient is in the hospital will chart notes etc be entered in our billing/emr software and I guess give copies of notes to hospital?

I am not quite sure how a private practice doctor who "contracts' to a hospital like this would work especially for inpatients? 

Any help or direction would be great!

Thanks!

[Michele]

If a dr sees a patient (or two) in the hospital, usually they bill independently from the hospital.  It's actually the same as if they saw the patient in the office, except they use the POS 22 for inpatient and put the hospital info in box 32 (including hospital's NPI).  All other coding is the same with the exception of reading things like EKG's, etc, where the hospital performed the technical component so the dr is only billing for the professional component using a 26 modifier.  The hospital will provide the dr with a demographics sheet on the patient that has all info needed for billing.

Michele

[dfranklin]

Thanks Michele!

Want about chart notes (emr)?  Will the doctor keep a copy for her records to be entered into her system since it is just like performing the service in her office ( I would assume she would need that because she is billing the one performing and billing the insurance) And then maybe a copy is entered or given to the hospital? Is that how that part would work?

[Michele]

Usually the notes are just kept in the patient's chart at the hospital.