tci Part B Insider - 2005 Issue 4

Pronouncement of Death: You May Be Able To Bill A Discharge Code For Death Pronouncement

Carriers disagree about the appropriateness of post-mortem billingWhen a patient dies, a physician will often do a significant amount of work, but Medicare has no code for pronouncing a patient dead.Physicians can bill for   "reasonable and necessary medical services rendered up to and including pronouncement of death," according to a new FAQ posted on CIGNA Medicare's Web site. Physicians can bill hospital discharge codes 99238-99239 and other codes, as appropriate.This guidance clashes with the opinion of another Part B carrier, Regence Medicare, which said a year ago that it was "inappropriate" for physicians to...

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