Otolaryngology Coding Alert

Question: Is there a way we can offset the cost of educational materials, pamphlets, etc., that we provide to patients and payers?


Montana Subscriber 

 
Answer: CPT does contain a code for educational materials: 99071 (Educational supplies, such as books, tapes and pamphlets, provided by the physician for the patient's education at cost to physician).

You should check with your payers to determine if they will reimburse you for the cost of educational materials using 99071. But don't be surprised if most payers decline. As an alternative, you could ask the payer about having their beneficiaries cover the cost of educational materials directly. This is not permissible for Medicare beneficiaries because this service is considered -bundled- into any other service that you are reimbursed for under the Physician Fee Schedule.

Remember, however, that you might want to cover the cost of such materials yourself if it cuts down on the number of follow-up calls and other unbillable activities you may be forced to handle. Information for You Be the Coder and Reader Questions was provided by a number of coding experts, including Kathy Pride, CPC, CCS-P, a coding consultant for QuadraMed in Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Bruce Rappoport, MD, CPC, a board-certified internist who works with physicians on compliance, documentation, coding and quality issues for Rachlin, Cohen & Holtz LLP, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based accounting firm with healthcare expertise; Carol Pohlig, BSN, RN, CPC, senior coding and education specialist at the University of Pennsylvania department of medicine in Philadelphia; and Alan L. Plummer, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.