how to bill or not bill for volunteer doctor

[aces78rp]

How can you bill for a volunteer doctor when he is not being paid for his services? Isn't that fraud if you bill for his services? I work for an FQHC in WA.

 

[tracross]

Not sure if this helps, but if he's working as a locum you could use modifier Q6.

 

[matchabeli]

Volunteer doctor

I used to bill for an RHC but I don't think I understand the situation.

Q6 is used for locum tenems (sp?) but they are not "volunteer".

If the doctor is volunteering his time....then why would it be billed? Is he giving his time to the patients or to the clinic?

Can you explain more?

 

[Greater2019]

Volunteer Physicians

Has there been anymore information on this, please?
I need to bill out for 3 volunteer doctors, is there a special way to code them, like 99213/99214
versus a consultation code?

 

[thomas7331]

Has there been anymore information on this, please?
I need to bill out for 3 volunteer doctors, is there a special way to code them, like 99213/99214
versus a consultation code?

If these physicians are volunteering, I believe that is a de facto compensation arrangement/agreement between the physicians and your organization - it does not change the rules for billing and coding. If you are going to bill and collect payment for the services of these physicians, I'm pretty sure you will still need to have them assign their benefits to your organization and credential them the way you would with any other physician. I don't think you can legally collect payment on a physician's behalf without going through that process (with the possible exception of a locums arrangement as mentioned above), but you may wish to consult with your practice attorneys or compliance officer to make sure you are going about this correctly. There may be other malpractice and liability issues involved too, so it would be best to have a legal specialist involved in this before starting any billing.