Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Question: Our neurologists sometime perform diagnostic studies on Medicare inpatients in the nearby hospital. My understanding is that if an inpatient is brought to our office for these diagnostic studies, we can  only bill for the professional component rather than the global diagnostic tests. Is this correct? Oregon Subscriber Answer: As long as the patient is considered to be an inpatient by Medicare, the technical components (TC) for all diagnostic testing are included in the hospital's payment for the patient's inpatient stay, even those provided in a physician's office site of service. This would also be the case for patients that are covered under a Part A covered stay in a skilled nursing facility. Some commercial payers also take this stance as they likewise reimburse the facility on a diagnosis grouper type arrangement, similar to Medicare. If your provider is actually performing the technical component and providing the equipment for [...]