Advanced Search

Primary Care Coding Alert

Primary Care Coding:

Independent Historian Should Be Clinically Necessary

Published on Mon Oct 13, 2025

Question: A patient came to an encounter with their spouse. Although the patient does not have dementia or any other condition that might limit or prohibit their participating in the encounter, the patient, according to the provider, stated that they wanted their spouse to “do the talking.” Can the spouse be considered an independent historian in this situation? New Mexico [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more

Other Articles in this issue of

Primary Care Coding Alert