Practice Management Alert

Key: Your physician needs to review and sign any nurse's HPI notes.In these times of economic juggling, your practice is likely doing all it can to maximize physician and staff time. But if you're letting your nurses captures the patient's history of present illness (HPI), you're asking for an audit and extra cost in the long run.Caution: Don't let your nurses do the doctor's work, or you could end up with a non-payable visit. Find out when you can capitalize on your nurses' time without setting the practice up for disaster.Follow Palmetto's GuidanceThe only parts of the E/M visit that an RN can document independently are the review of systems (ROS); past, family, and social history (PFSH); and vital signs, according to Palmetto GBA, a Part B carrier. The physician or mid-level provider must review those three areas and write a statement that the nurse's documentation is correct or add [...]