Q/A: Extended recovery time
APCs Weekly Monitor, July 30, 2010
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to APCs Weekly Monitor!
Q: For extended recovery time, the patient stayed longer than 10 hours after surgery. Should we add these extra hours to revenue code 710 (recovery room)? I know the charge is by the hour for 1 unit. In this scenario, should we specify 10 units to indicate 10 hours? Please advise whether this is correct.
A: No CPT or HCPCS code exists for recovery services. Facilities should determine their own units of billing and bill appropriately for the hours of service the patient received. Due to the difference in costs for providing recovery in the post anesthesia care unit and on the floor (extended recovery), different units of service (i.e., one-half hour rather than one hour) or different charges for the two settings may be appropriate.
Bill all of these charges with revenue code 0710 for recovery in an amount appropriate with respect to how the facility has established its chargemaster codes for these services.
Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to APCs Weekly Monitor!
Related Products
-
Modifier -59 Case Studies: Clarify Common Coding Confusion
Modifier -59 is a perennial problem area for outpatient coders. It shouldn’t be viewed as a way to guarantee payment but...
-
Outpatient Bed Charge Capture: Billing for Common and Complex Cases
During this 90-minute audio conference, our expert speakers walk you through common and complex cases and explain compliant...
-
Billing No-Cost and Low-Cost Devices: Tips to Avoid the Audit Fast Track
During this 90-minute audio conference, our speakers will use a case study to demonstrate best practices to help you comply...
-
Spinal ICD-9 and CPT Coding
During this two-hour audio conference, our speakers will discuss common coding errors for spinal diagnoses and procedures...
-
2012 OPPS Final Rule: Analyze the Impact and Manage the Changes
Expert speakers Jugna Shah, MPH, and Valerie A. Rinkle, MPA, return for this popular program. They review the final rule...
Most Popular
- Articles
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- Identify potential Medicaid RAC target areas
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Topic: CMS, OESS post new security compliance review information, checklist
- Capturing all necessary codes for IUD insertion and removal can be challenging
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- QA:Coding multiple initial infusions
- OB services: Coding inside and outside of the package
- E-mailed
-
- Q/A: Volume requirement for reporting hydration services
- Featured blog post: Nurses face felony charges after reporting physician to the Texas Medical Board
- HIPAA Q&A: Level of encryption needed for email
- Q&A: Follow CMS' coding guidelines when using modifier -25
- What does case-mix index mean to you?
- Catch up on what's new with injections and infusions
- CMS has reformulated payments for some bilateral procedures
- New conflicts of interest create new challenges
- Q/A. One injection code or two?
- ED-to-inpatient transfers are flawed with safety gaps
- Searched