| Billing
for Family Members Seen |
 |
When
more than one person in a family attends a physician's office
at the same time, a visit fee is not always billable for each
family member.
Visits
that can be billed for more than one family member during the
same visit:
| • |
When
each family member is receiving medical diagnosis and/or treatment
during one visit, it is appropriate to bill a service for
each patient. |
| • |
For
example, if a parent and child are both seen for diagnosis
and treatment of upper respiratory infection (URI) during
the same visit, a visit fee may be billed for each patient. |
Visits
that cannot be billed for more than one family member during the
same visit :
| • |
When
one family member has a medical problem, it is almost always
inappropriate to bill for discussion with other family members
about that patient's condition. |
| • |
For
example, if a child is seen for upper respiratory infection
(URI) and the physician takes the history from the parent
and gives treatment instructions to the parent, a visit fee
may be billed only for the child. |
| Tips: |
Standard
medical care of a patient may require that the physician communicate
with a parent, spouse, or caregiver of the patient. Routine
communication is considered to be included in the initial
visit fee for the patient, even if the communication takes
place on a different day. |
| |
For
more information please refer to Preamble B.1 of the Medical
Services Commission (MSC) Payment Schedule. |
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