As technology evolves, providers can perform more procedures at the patient's bedside than they ever could in the past. Previously, they could only perform these procedures in another department of the hospital, and they had to charge separately for them.
Our coding experts answer your questions about physician supervision for chemotherapy, billing injectable drugs, Addendum B and coverage, new transitional care management codes, and stent placement with other procedures.
Q We're struggling with nursing documentation of stop times for IV infusions (e.g., piggybacks and hydration). The nurses also inconsistently document a patient's return to the unit from diagnostics. We know that CMS now allows us to use average times for common services, and we're interested in considering this approach at my organization. Can you share additional specifics?
Self-administered drugs present a significant issue for coders, especially when considering how they may or may not be covered by Medicare Part B. In many instances, payers may consider a drug to be self-administered in some circumstances but not in others. As a result, coders must pay special attention to how these drugs are used within their setting.
