How are additional patient contact times billed after the initial 15 minutes?

How are additional patient contact times billed after the initial 15 minutes?

• A. Not billable
• B. In 15-minute increments
• C. In 5-minute increments
• D. In 30-minute increments

Answer: (B)

Additional patient contact time beyond the first 15 minutes is billed in 15-minute increments. The first 15 minutes cover the base service, and any extra time is added as 15-minute units, keeping billing consistent and aligned with standard CPT time-based coding. For example, if more time is needed, you would add one or more 15-minute units to the charge. This approach prevents using too fine a granularity (like 5-minute blocks) or larger, less precise blocks (like 30-minute increments) and reflects the typical way time-based services are reimbursed.

Additional patient contact time beyond the first 15 minutes is billed in 15-minute increments. The first 15 minutes cover the base service, and any extra time is added as 15-minute units, keeping billing consistent and aligned with standard CPT time-based coding. For example, if more time is needed, you would add one or more 15-minute units to the charge. This approach prevents using too fine a granularity (like 5-minute blocks) or larger, less precise blocks (like 30-minute increments) and reflects the typical way time-based services are reimbursed.