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Written by Reed Tinsley | June 2, 2008
Many coders don’t realize that they can bill 99211 to report services that clinical staff other than the nurse provides. Any qualified “auxillary personnel” who are the physician’s employees (ex. medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, technicians, and other aids) and are working under the physician’s direct supervision can provide services to patients under the incident-to umbrella using 99211 and can report 99211 as long as the patient visit meets the medical-necessity requirement for billing an E/M code.
Here’s a typical example: The physician sees a patient for a blood pressure check but doesn’t perform an in-depth E/M service. If the visit doesn’t qualify for 99212, you can bill 99211.
