title: A consultation, by any other name.
abstract: The decision to report a consultation code is based on a number of factors, including: the existence of a request from a physician or other authorized source for opinion or advice, documentation of the face-to-face patient encounter, and a written report of the findings, opinions or advice to the attending physician. Depending upon practice location, relationship with the referring physician population, number of self-referred patients, and other factors, some practices will report primarily consultation codes, whereas others may assign more codes for new patient visits.
authors.affiliation: Coding Strategies Inc., USA. cindy.parman@codingstrategies.com
authors.forename: Cindy C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Parman
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D004282:Documentation; D006801:Humans; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement; D006278:Medicare; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000145:classification*; D014481:United States