Billing an E&M code when patient is not present

Physician met with spouse who is patient's power of attorney to discuss condition and treatment plan without patient present, as patient is severely debilitated from a form of Parkinson's disease and is unable to communicate and resides in a care facility. Can an E&M code be billed? Not a Medicare patient.

Patient not present

Most carriers follow Medicare guidelines anyway, we tell the family it is a non-covered service and bill the patient family for these encounters, the codes require the patient to be present...

Patient not present

For Medicare patients, you cannot bill the patient, Medicare or family for these, with or without an ABN, so it's a freebie.

For non-Medicare, some payers will pay. Use V65.19 as a diagnosis: Other person consulting on behalf of another person.