Who discharges????

[jvalntine]

Hospitalist admits patient. Hospitalist requests consult of a surgeon who performs surgery. Hospital records show Hospitalist as admitting physician and surgeon as attending physician. Who gets the discharge code?

jv

 

[ARCPC9491]

Typically the attending assumes primary responsibility of the patient's care. It could be a dictation error. May want to check.

 

[sarahjane]

According to most hospitals unless a transfer of care has occured, the admitting physician is the one who completes the discharge.

sj cpc

 

[LLovett]

The surgeon would not get to charge for a discharge because it is included in the global period of the surgery.

So who actually did the discharge?

Laura, CPC, CEMC

 

[ARCPC9491]

normally a hospitalist sj is the admitting and acts as the attending unless the patient's primary care comes to the hospital and takes over care. Less and less primary cares are coming to the hospital for numerous reasons but that's why we have hospitalists.

Is there a discharge NOTE anywhere ..... ???

and I do agree with Laura about the global.

 

[jvalntine]

Who gets discharge

I know that surgeon's service is bundled into the global. The surgeon did dictate a discharge summary, and the hospitalist name is on the discharge orders.

 

[LLovett]

Sounds like no discharge is going to be billed at all in this case.

Laura, CPC, CEMC