And some emergency medicine practitioners, radiologists and pathologists were billing for this service when they are clearly not the physician responsible for the patient's monthly care and recurrent supervision of therapy. CPT code 99376 describes the same services but requires physicians to have spent more than 60 minutes in a 30-day period. Only one physician per month can bill for this service per patient. To qualify for payment, the patient's plan of care must be reviewed and revised accordingly by the attending physician responsible for recurrent supervision of therapy. This ensures that the physician is actively involved in medical decision-making required to develop or modify the plan of care.
Physicians can bill for the service in the month following hospital discharge.
HCFA reimburses physicians for communications with other health care professionals involved in the patient's care, but will not pay for telephone calls to patients and family members. Physicians should document in the medical record which services were furnished and the date and length of time it took to provide those services. Physicians who have a significant financial relationship with a home health agency, who are the medical director or employee of a hospice, or who provide services under an arrangement with a hospice can't be reimbursed for care plan oversight services. However, there are occasions that warrant treating type II diabetics with insulin when oral medications and dietary changes are ineffective in maintaining normal glucose levels. Physicians, billing managers and coders should note that it is the type of diabetes that determines the correct code, not whether a patient receives insulin as part of treatment.