Can a physician and a non-physician practitioner (NPP) perform the discharge as a shared/split visit?
A1. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet-Only Manual (IOM) Publication 100-04, Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.2, discusses hospital discharge services. The service may be performed as a shared/split visit. The documentation must show a face-to-face encounter with both parties. If there is no face-to-face encounter with the physician, the service must be billed under the Non Physician Practitioner’s (NPP) provider number. Medicare views physicians within the same group with the same specialty as the same person. Q2. The surgeon admitted the patient for surgery. However, due to a change in the patient’s condition, the internist followed the patient and wrote the discharge orders. Who can bill the discharge? Is this a transfer of care? A2. CMS IOM Pub. 100-04, Chapter 12, Section 30.6.9.2 B, discusses the discharge visit and states, “Only the attending physician of record reports the discharge day management service.
Related Questions
- When a patient is being seen incident to the physician by a non-physician practitioner, is there a requirement the physician sees the patient every 3rd visit?
- Can a qualified non-physician practitioner (NPP) perform the initial visit in a skilled nursing facility and/or nursing facility?
- Can a physician and a non-physician practitioner (NPP) perform the discharge as a shared/split visit?
