Wiki Health and Beahavior Assessment Initial or Re-assesment?

[KGerlings]

I have a simple yet very frusterating question. I code for a company that recently took over a childrens rehabilitation clinic. We have providers seeing patients that they have seen within the past year, but they are marking it as an initial assesment. Typically, there are no mental status changes and the diagnosis stays the same. I have tried researching to find better guidelines as to what an "initial" assessment means. Can you bill an initial assesmnet every year? Once ever? Every new diagnosis (Medical or biopsychosocial)? Every new provider? What?! Noridian does not have an LCD for this code set (96150-96151), but I was able to find a few other states LCD's. Of the ones I could find it states "For a reassessment to be considered reasonable and necessary, there must be documentation that there has been a sufficient change in the mental or medical status warranting re-evaluation of the patient's capacity to understand and cooperate with the medical interventions necessary to their health and well being". Trouble is, our providers are seeing the patients sometimes a week after the initial for the reassessment with no change in mental or medical status. Is this inappropriate? Lastly, the LCD's state they expect 96150-96151 to be 4 units of service or less (1 hour). Our physicians are seeing the patients for anywhere between 1-15 units of service. Is anyone getting more than 4 units of service paid?

If anyone has the answer, and preferably a link to evidence of such, I would greatly appreciate the clarification!

Thanks!