Counseling Parent w/out pt present

lapcpc

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One of my providers received a telephone call from a patients mother who had some concerns with daycare issues. The provider brought the mother into the office and counseled and discussed these "issues" - wondering if this counseling w/out pt present billable?

Just want to confirm what I think as not being billable.

Thanks for your help.
 
Per CPT 2009, page 1: "Counseling is a discussion with a patient and/or family..."
The "or" indicates that the counseling could be done with the family, in your case the mother, however I wonder if this visit was medically necessary if it was for day-care issues.
 
Yes it's billable. Code the appropriate CPT based on time spent counseling. Use the appropriate ICD-9 for the diagnosis / chief complaint... we usually end up doing this for parents who want to discuss behavioral problems.
 
how funny! I just posted almost the same question! :) I agree, I thought the guidelines specifying "and/or family members" would mean we can bill for a visit with a parent or family member. I just wanted to see if others were in agreement.
 
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