Wiki Discharge Summary Date

[Smile153df]

If the provider completes a discharge summary on 05/01/2019 but is not actually discharged until 05/02/2019. Does the provider's discharge summary need to be updated to include that information stating the actual discharge date of 05/02/2019? I understand we would bill our services on 05/01/2019 because that is the actual date the provider did the face to face service but not sure if we have to have them update their note to include the actual discharge date.

 

[mitchellde]

You cannot discharge a patient the day before they are discharged. If the provider writes a discharge summary say on the 1st. but the patient is discharged on the 2nd then the note of the 1st needs to be subsequent visit and the provider will have to face to face see the patient on the actual date of discharge in order to bill a visit as a discharge. You cannot "mail in" the discharge a day early. The provider must see the patient on the date of discharge in order to bill as such.

 

[AmandaBriggs]

Good morning! Per the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.2, "The E/M discharge day management visit shall be reported for the date of the actual visit by the physician or qualified nonphysician practitioner even if the pateitn is discharged from the facility on a different calendar date." Noridian, the MAC for my area, advises to report a subsequent visit for the date following the discharge summary if another visit is done prior to the patient actually leaving the hospital. I haven't read anything saying the d/c summary needs to be updated with the actual date of discharge. The actual discharge date is usually reported on the claim when it is submitted. A note of caution, if the patient is being kept in the hospital merely because they are awaiting placement in another facility and there is no medical necessity for the follow up visits after the discharge summary has been done, then these visits are not billable services. Hope this helps!