How will the admitting physician be distinguished from other physicians who may furnish specialty care in the hospital inpatient setting?
CMS has created a modifier “A1” to distinguse the physician who oversees the patient’s care (principal physician of record) from other physicians. This modifier must be appended to the principal physician of record initial hospital care code. If you are not the principal physician of record and are providing specialty care, CMS requires you to use the appropriate E/M code (99221-99223) when the initial evaluation is performed. Follow-up visits in the hospital setting may be billed using subsequent care codes (99231-99233).
Related Questions
- If a specialist sees a patient for the first time in an inpatient setting on day 3 of their hospital stay, how should this visit be coded?
- How can I identify and research available positions for physicians who practice my specialty in Health Management hospital markets?
- Are physicians and providers in a PPO rental network required to be listed in the physician and hospital directory?