Primary Care Coding Alert

Question: Two family physicians from our group saw the same patient in the office at different times of the same day. I know we could bill both visits if the physicians were from different specialties. What happens since they're both FPs? Missouri Subscriber Answer: Since the physicians work in the same specialty in the same group, you likely cannot bill two separate codes for separate visits with the same patient on the same day. As Medicare states in its claims processing manual (section 30.6.5 of chapter 12):Physicians in the same group practice who are in the same specialty must bill and be paid as though they were a single physician. If more than one evaluation and management (face-to-face) service is provided on the same day to the same patient by the same physician or more than one physician in the same specialty in the same group, only one evaluation and [...]