Medorizon Provides Tips on How Physicians Get Paid When on Vacation
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 27, 2014 -- Physicians are you aware of your options when you are required to miss work due to illness, pregnancy, continuing education, or even vacation? Medorizon has been helping Physicians with reimbursements for over 25 years. If a physician needs to take a short leave or an extended absence there are options available to you. Locum Tenens and Reciprocal billing are two opportunities to continue revenue for the practice while away. To ensure correct coding documentation is key, using the Q6 or Q5 modifiers will identify the service that are performed by another professional. “While both are recognized by Medicare it is always important to contact specific health insurance plans,” said John Miller, Director of Operations at Medorizon.
1. Locum Tenens Billing: Locum tenens are substitute physicians who assist professional practices in the absence of a regular physician for reasons such as illness, pregnancy, vacation, or continuing medical education. The substitute physicians generally have no practice of their own and move to various facilities as needed. Medicare rules require that a locum tenens cannot provide services for longer than 60 days. The absentee physician pays the locum tenens physician an agreed upon rate, with the locum tenens acting as an independent contractor rather than an employee. The absentee physician may submit a claim using the Q6 modifier (services furnished by a locum tenens physician). Also, the regular physician must keep on file a record of each service provided by the locum tenens along with the locum tenens’ UPIN.
2. Reciprocal Billing: Under reciprocal billing arrangements, a patient’s absentee physician may submit a claim and receive payment for services arranged to be provided by a substitute physician on an occasional basis. The regular physician should identify the service as substitute physician services and bill with the Q5 modifier (service furnished by a substitute physician under a reciprocal billing arrangement). A reciprocal billing arrangement is typically an agreement among physicians that one will cover the others practice when the physician is absent. Reciprocal billing arrangements are usually informal, and Medicare does not require them to be in writing. The absentee physician compensates the covering physician by reciprocating in the future. Physicians may have reciprocal billing arrangements with more than one physician. Coverage periods for reciprocating physicians are typically brief, although Medicare will allow them to last up to 60 days if certain criteria are met. A typical example of a reciprocal billing arrangement is a physician who covers for an absentee physician who is on-call for the weekend.
If your practice needs expert advice or services Medorizon has experience with both professional and facility billing. For many medical practices providing quality services to patients is easy—processing claims and getting reimbursement is the tedious part. Medorizon has grown to a 60-employee organization, reaching sales of several million dollars annually. Their staff manages the billing and collection process for hundreds of providers throughout the United States. Act now and take advantage of the offer to better acquaint your practice with the initial changes in moving forward to ICD-10.
Keith Tobin, Medorizon, http://www.medorizon.com, +1 (815) 834-7225, [email protected]
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