Wiki Can you bill insurance for having a translator present?

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No, generally speaking you cannot do this because charging for a translator can be considered discrimination against a patient with a disability. A few payers may cover it and if so, they would give you a code and guidelines for how to bill it. But as a general rule, it's a legal requirement that providers must accommodate and cover the cost of a translator when the patient needs one, and this is part of the provider's overhead costs that can't be separately billed to the patient's insurance. If your practice is seriously considering it, I'd recommend running it by an attorney to make sure you're doing it in a legal manner.
 
There is a HCPCs code T1013 Sign language or oral interpretive service, per 15 minutes. Medicare and almost every other insurance will deny or bundle this with any other services provided.
Your practice is legally required to provide a qualified translator at no cost to the patient. IF (huge if) your carrier will cover it, T1013 would be the code. In all my years of coding/billing, I think I've seen 1 Medicaid advantage plan cover this.
 
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