Medically Necessary Healing, With Marvin Gaye

A billing and coding journey

I get phone calls, from friends. I am a know it all. It’s intolerable. I interrupt people. It’s an impairment, I am aware. To make up for it, I am answering the question in reference format here on my newsletter. Welcome to The Frontier Psychiatrists!

How to get paid for what you do (medical billing and coding edition)…

According to healthcare.gov, medically necessary care is…

Health care services or supplies needed to diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, disease or its symptoms and that meet accepted standards of medicine.

I’m going to use absurd examples, cause it is more fun.

I’m also going to find replace a bit with music…I am going to audit a song for medical necessity!

The lyrics are some extensive documentation Let’s see how he does?

Ooh baby, I'm hot just like an oven

Ok, documenting subjective experience of pyrexia. This is starting out better than expected.

I need some lovin'
And baby, I can't hold it much longer

Pretending we are aliens who are not familiar with the very strict standards around “lovin’ in a physician-patient relationship…the documentation notes the urgency of the problem…

It's getting stronger and stronger

Documenting the stability and status of the condition is crucial for accurate billing and coding.

When I get that feeling
I want sexual healing

This is a pretty clear history of symptoms supporting both a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Sexual healing, oh baby
Makes me feel so fine

This documentation supports an effective intervention for the condition, and patient has responded positively in the past, which is in keeping with generally accepted love making at least.

Helps to relieve my mind

This note might support interactive complexity!