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Regions
Billing before final - responses.
Posted By: mehattingh on April 21, 2015
Good morning List,
It seems, there are many of us that interpret the OLD rule just like it was written. "No billing till the treatment is complete". Then there are some that have interpreted it in a slightly different way. As a facility that DOES use the Test Socket protocol and I believe John was one of the founders of this protocol back in the early 90's. We NEVER go to a final until the patient has reduced to Zero ply sock. We have patients out there that are going past a year+ and they are in their 2nd or even third TS. That means No billing during this time, That's why our very small one man clinic has Loaner components. For those that are skeptical about the TS protocol, in 22 years and 100's maybe 1000's of patients neither of our clinics has ever had a Catastrophic fail or claim. Its about education and safety..the products that we use could likely keep a wing on a boeing...expensive but worth it for the patient. But I degress..Here is the synopsis of the responses. No, it has not changed. At the AOPA conference in October, this was discussed in great detail. It is not appropriate at any time to bill for a patient sent out in a test socket. This was followed by a discussion of the liability of sending a patient out in TS in the first place. Your understanding is correct. The only time that you should waiver is for death or cancellation of an order which needs to be clearly documented.Some practices have decided that they can provide a patient with a "walking check socket" and bill it. A walking check socket is not a final product. Unfortunately, they get by with it because most patients don't have a clue We had a patient that was billed (by another practice that was later shut down by Medicare) fir a complete prosthesis when they were measured. They did not actually receive anything until a year later.It's disgusting for those trying to survive in this ugly system. Smells like rotten fish I've been advised by AOPA that I am able to bill work done with appropriate documentation of occurrence. What "we" as practitioners refuse to understand, is Medicare views all payees as fraudulent. I have my practitioners document everything. I have billed and been reimbursed via Medicare in your very circumstance, having proved our work and expense to date' we were compensated. If you'd like to talk further please feel free to call me at my office. You are supposed to bill test sockets with the date that the final prosthesis is delivered. That does not mean that every practice does so and that they do not sometimes get paid when they shouldn't. I see practices bill test sockets all the time prior to delivery. But, just because you get paid for something doesn't mean that you are doing it correctly. I could give multiple reasons why you should not, from a billing and liability perspective, do a dynamic/walking check socket that leaves your office before the final delivery. Most practices are getting away from this practice because of the liability. There are still some practitioners who insist upon it and they do it knowing the liabilities involved and the potential loss. There really is not any protection of your financial interest if the patient chooses not to return with your check socket. You can however bill salvage value for custom componentry when a patient passes away before delivery and you have already fabricated custom components. All returnable components must be returned. The problem with this philosophy with a walking check socket is... Good luck returning a knee or a foot once it has been worn by the patient outside of your office. You are correct. A facility can deliver a device, but cannot legally bill Medicare until the detailed written order is received and all delivery paperwork is signed. And you can only bill for what you actually delivered. In our facility, for example, those amputees desiring a cover are usually provided the prosthesis for a month prior to installing the cover to assure proper alignment. We bill without the cover code and then bill the cover separately a month later when it's provided. I would hope that no practitioner would provide a test socket for trial fitting and advise the amputee to use it outside of the home. We occasionally do a week long home trial with the test socket for difficult to fit amputees. We have them sign an actual contract stating they will not wear it outside of the home. It would be very dangerous for them to ambulate outside of the home with an incomplete device. How do you know that what you're seeing is a test socket? Perhaps what you are seeing is a completed prosthesis without the cover? No confusion, you are right, they are wrong. I believe with private insurance you can bill anytime after prior approval. You can bill for what has been provided but you still need to have signed validation of receipt for what you are billing. A good instance is say your patient leaves on a check socket with an MPK knee and a foot and everything. You can have them sign and you bill for everything that has been done at that point. Obviously not acrylic or flexible socket/ rigid frame but if you have built in the ischial containment and total contact and suction blah blah blah, all of that can be billed. Then you bill the acrylic and flexible socket/rigid frame when it is transferred to definitive. Thank you all, for the responses..I will keep posting as they come in. Michele Hattingh Administrator Prosthetic Care Facility of VA 15738 Foleys Way Haymarket VA 20169 571-445-3390 571-4453392 www.prostheticcarefacility.com Treat others as you want to be treated. |
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