Wiki Newborn Discharge Coding

cedwards

Guru
Messages
169
Location
Branford, CT
Best answers
0
Our pediatricians see a baby on the day before they are supposed to go home and do all the discharge guidance on that day, and then not see them the next day when they are discharged. How should we bill this? We can't use the discharge day codes 99238 and 99239 because they are only for the work done on the date of discharge. Any suggestions?
 
What day are you trying to code? There needs to be a visit in order to code so you can not bill a discharge if he is not going and providing the service. Writing the orders is not billable as a discharge.
 
Doesn't CPT state same day admit and discharge? The doctor is doing the history and physicial and discharging the same day??? My provider uses hospital visits and uses this code to discharge and I advised that they are wrong because CPT states any subsequent visits to use the 99832 discharge codes.
Rhonda, under what circumstances would you use the same day discharge codes. Does the hospital ever admit and discharge a newborn on the same date or wouldn't it be the above mentioned scenerio??
 
Top