Wiki Incident-To Home Visit

[LeaHarris]

Is it appropriate for an RN to go to a patient's home as an incident to visit for a service (wound care, trim nails, colostomy care, diabetes management)? The visit would be taking place at the patient's home or facility and the RN would bill a 99211 under the "prescribing" MD.

As a side note we are an FQHC approved for home nursing visits due to the lack of home health agencies in the area. We primarily bill G0409 under the provider's treatment plan for these services, however, occasionally my nurses are doing a home visit and billing 99211 and I am concerned these do not follow incident-to rules or home nursing visit rules.

Thank you!

 

[thomas7331]

I'd agree with you that it doesn't follow the rules - one of the requirements of 'incident to' is direct supervision by the physician which means the physician would need to be on site when the RN performs the service. If the physician is not present at the home with the RN, then that requirements isn't met.