Discharge Services Reminder
For Medicare purposes, a face-to-face visit between the physician and patient must always occur (with rare exception) in order to bill an evaluation and management (E/M) service. In the nursing facility setting, a face-to-face visit is required for a nursing facility discharge E/M service (code 99315 or 99316). Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes 99315 and 99316 are appropriate for death pronouncement; however, the physician must be present in order to report the service for payment. Medicare will pay for pronouncement of death as long as the provider actually does the pronouncement face-to-face with the deceased patient (not over the telephone).
There must be documentation supporting a face-to-face encounter when billing a discharge service on the date of death. If the provider does not see the patient prior to the time of death or make the pronouncement of death face-to-face, no E/M service may be billed for that date of service.
Page Last Updated: Tuesday, 15-Jul-2008 10:45:21 CDT
